A Noble Hate
by queerception
Summary: A young woman, Noble, loses her home and her belongings. Murdoc takes her in, but what she thought was kindness was actually predation. He sexually assaults her multiple times throughout the story. This series does not romanticize rape or abuse, but it does show that there is no black and white when it comes to abuse, and eventually Noble gets attached to the group. Too bad.
1. The First Day of Hate

_[AUTHORS'S NOTE: this chapter is a violent rape scene. It is not something "beautiful" or "okay" or "good." It's a torture scene. People don't always realize that rape isn't all cut and dry, even rape survivors. I know from experience that some of it can feel good or bad to varying degrees, but regardless of how it goes down, or how many time you come, if you kiss them or not, laugh or cry, deliver or receive, if you felt sexy or ugly, if you were injured or if you injured them, it's torture all the same. Never assume that the entire ordeal was the most horrible thing ever, because that makes the survivor/victim feel ashamed for feeling pleasure. Pleasure and rape are not dichotomies. I won't blame anyone for enjoying rape fantasies— I use fantasies to help process my abuse in a way that gives me control— so don't feel guilty if you do, especially if you're a survivor/victim. Enjoy the fantasy, but don't ever think that rape is good or okay._

_That being said, I write this story with the idea of the main character being 16-going-on-seventeen, but I write it with her being older than that for legal and ethical reasons. I write it that way because people seem to treat rape at different ages in different ways, which is a topic that comes up later on. The character is a extremely naive young girl with experience that she doesn't know how to wield. I'm trying to avoid writing her as a sympathy-sue, but be warned: she's a sympathy-sue. I try to balance this out with realistic, NOT miraculous, character development._

_This is my first time writing anything this long, and the first time I've writing a fanfic! Please leave feedback and advice, and tell me what you want me to write! I won't use all ideas, but demographics would be great. The entire series is still under edit and retrocon, so check back every once in a while if you want._

_SPOILER/TRIGGER WARNING:__She's been groomed from an early age to tolerate abuse, which affects her decisions regarding the current abuse. She deals first-hand with rape, suicide, self-harm, childhood abuse, child porn, violence, and mental health issues, etc. She deals second-hand with rape, child prostitution, drug abuse, murder, violence, death, mental health, suicide, etc.]_

_Enjoy responsibly._

_—Queerception]_

She was huddled up in an alley, near the entrance. She had been evicted earlier that week and didn't have a place to go. She was cold, and the forecast was for rain. She only had a backpack and a suitcase to store her belongings in. She sold everything else she had, but even that wasn't much. She had already sold all her furniture to pay rent, and then most of her personal item after that. She had stuffed as many clothes as she could into her baggage, but that wasn't much. She didn't have a phone. She had a zune and a charger for it along with headphones. She had fallen asleep listening to it, wrapped up in the one blanket she had brought with her. She didn't have a pillow.

When she woke up later, her bags were gone. Her money, her birth certificate, her SSN, her visa and passport, her gun, her medications, everything. Gone. She now had nothing but music and a blanket.

She was too tired to cry. She hadn't gotten much sleep and had cried enough for a year.

She was nodding off again when someone spoke to her. "Yew need a place to stay?"

She looked up. She couldn't see him very well— it was as dark as it gets in the city— which, admittedly, isn't very dark at all— and the streetlamp was behind him. It had started raining. She could see an inverted cross hanging from a chain around his neck.

She shook her head. She didn't want to go home with a strange man if she could avoid it.

"I sincerely doubt that, based look alone. Yew can come with me."

"I don't have any money."

"Ohhh, that's awlright. I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart. It's too cold out for yew t'be out here in the rain." His word were drawn out and a little slurred.

She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

He helped her up.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He smiled. She could see that his teeth were crooked and pointy. Probably a mod. She'd seen it done before. He was missing a few and looked a little familiar.

They walked around the block to his car. She didn't know what model it was. It was a common one. She got in.

They hit the road and he didn't say anything for a while. Then he asked, "Sooo, what's yehr name?"

She debated over which name to tell him. "Noble."

He let out a short laugh. "Now, that's a first."

"Yeah, well, my parents were kinda strange." She took out some chapstick from one of the pockets of here cargo pants and put some on. She put it back in her pocket and rubbed her temples.

"Yew awright?" he asked.

"Ugh. Yeah, I guess. I have a major headache. I haven't gotten much food or water lately and it's taking a toll on me."

He laughed again. "Yew've got an interesting accent."

"I'm American."

"Hm." A brief pause. "There's a bottle of headache pills in the glove depar'ment. You can take a couple if you want."

That was awful nice of him. She opened the glove department door and grabbed the orange bottle. She read the label. "This is a prescription for… Stuart Pot. S'that you?"

"Nah, that's my bandmate's, but he won't mind. It's Vicodin."

She poured out two. She'd had a friend once who took Vicodin for a broken leg and had told her it was pretty effective. Another friend had made a market out of it, which convinced her of its effectiveness more than a broken leg.

Silence again. Then, "M'name's Murdoc."

She laughed. "Murdoc? Now _that's_a first," she said, imitating his words.

"Yeah, well, my parents were a little strange, too."

Silence for a while. She noticed he was swerving a bit. "Are you sure you're alright to drive?"

"Nah." He grinned.

"Oh." She didn't feel comfortable with that, but didn't have a choice.

They sat in silence for a while. They were a bit far from the city.

"You look familiar."

"Well, I _am_ in a band. Ever heard of Gorillaz? I'm the bassist."

"Never heard of you, but I guess I've seen your picture."

He seemed dissatisfied with that answer. They rode in silence for a good bit before they reached… a house? She wasn't sure what to call it. There was a Winnebago outside it.

He got out of the car. She followed. She was starting to feel the side effects of the Vicodin. She stared up at the building.

He gestured dramatically to the large building. "This," he said, "is Kong studios. The Winne's where we're gunna be sleeping."

She wasn't sure if she was comfortable with sleeping in the same room as him, but she figure he had a couch or a cot in there for her. She followed him into the trailer. It smelt like old laundry and had an unfamiliar musk to it. She looked around for a cot but only saw the one bed. The clock said 5:36 AM.

"Where am I sleeping?" she asked. She felt him brush up behind her.

"Yeh're sleeping with me, pet," he responded. He reached around and put one hand at her neck, the other grabbed her breast.

Her heart started pounding. She didn't know what to do. She was frozen for a moment, then elbowed him in the gut and pushed him away. She wasn't very strong. "Stop!"

He slapped her, hard, knocking her back a step. He waited a second, and then again slapped her, and then once more. He put his hand at her throat again.

"Yew don't have a choice here, sweetie." He growled. He pushed her onto the bed.

She tried squirming away, only to be punched, hard. She cried out. There was a ringing in her ears. She could hear her heartbeat. She was on the edge of slipping into a flashback. She was woozy from the Vicodin.

He pushed her down on the bed and slid his free hand up her shirt and grabbed her breast again. "Mmmm, we're gunna have some fun, now aren't we?"

She whimpered and tried to push his hand away, only to earn another slap. She cried out again. "Stop!" she screeched.

He punched her again, still holding her neck. "This'll be a lot easier for the both of us if yew behave!" he yelled back. "Stay still," he hissed.

She stopped moving and tried not to cry, but she already felt tears slipping down the sides of her face. She whimpered again.

He started squeezing the sides of her neck. Her vision started to fade. "Yeh're going to behave, aren't yew, pet?" he relaxed his grip but kept his hand where it was.

She nodded, tears streaming now.

"I can't heeeear yew!"

"Yes, I'll behave!"

"That's 'yes, sir' to yew!" he yelled.

"Yes, sir!" she obeyed.

He let go of her neck and turned to fish around in a drawer, pulling out a condom. He unzipped and removed his jeans and shirt, then his briefs. He didn't put the condom on yet. "Take off yehr clothes."

She sat up and undressed herself, not wanting to be slapped again. She wrapped her arms around herself, ashamed. The pain was getting to her and, combined with the pills, she felt herself slipping into a high. She wouldn't be having any flashbacks now.

He looked at her legs and stomach and saw her scars. "Oh, yeh're no stranger to pain, huh?" he slurred. He got on the bed and sat against the wall, pulling her up in front of him, facing in the same direction in an embrace. His body was pressed up against hers.

She could feel his cock against the small of her back. It was hard and she could feel it twitching in time to his pulse. She was painfully aware of every sensation—the smell of the room, the feel of his legs at her sides, the cold metal of his necklace, the sound of his breath speeding up. She could feel his heart beating faster in his chest, in time with the pulsing of his cock.

His hands traveled to her breasts, squeezing her nipples hard. She cried out as he pinched harder. He stopped after a moment and started massaging her breasts. One hand slid down between her legs. He rubbed the outside of her crotch for a bit, then slipped two fingers into her slit.

She whimpered again. "Please, stop, please please please, stop…"

He cackled. "Nah, this is too good for me to stop. Yeh're quite wet, aren't yew?" he sneered. He started rubbing her clit.

She twitched and moaned. She couldn't help it, it felt too good. She hated it. She was ashamed of herself. She didn't want this. She moaned as he continued to rub her clit in circles. She put a hand to her mouth, trying to quiet herself.

He laughed again, then began pinching her nipple again. He grunted as she cried out again. He let go of her breast and clawed his nails across her chest, then down her side, then to her chest again. He repeated the cycle, scratching her skin and leaving red marks, eventually drawing blood. He didn't stop. She started shrieking in pain as he scratched more. He continued to rub her clit.

She was high on the pain and Vicodin. She was getting wetter by the moment. She was ashamed of herself for feeling this way. It was torture and he knew it.

He was doing this on purpose, tormenting her, breaking her psyche. He had experience with pleasuring girls, but doing it by force was something new to him— at least, new to do it to a woman— and he was finding that he simply _loved_ it. He slipped a finger into her.

She let out a short scream. It hurt. She had never had penetrative sex, though she wasn't a virgin. She'd only ever been with girls and chose not to go into penetration until she was ready. She'd never been very active, so her hymen was still intact. "Stop, please!" She yelled the words into her hand.

He could feel her hymen and slipped his finger out of her, returning to her clit. He murmured into her ear, "I'll go easy on yew." He licked his long tongue up her neck and nibbled at her ear.

She nodded, still covering her mouth. She arched her back as he rubbed her faster.

He continued this for a while. Again, this was something he was experienced with, and he knew how to make the process of a girl losing her virginity a little easier.

She felt the intensity increasing as she came closer to orgasm. She moaned louder and faster, panting. She bit her hand, still trying to stifle the noises she was making.

His cock twitched against her back and he grunted along. He wanted to be inside her but waited. He sucked at her neck in different places, leaving a trail of hickeys.

She came, yelling. It was intense and spread through her body, but it wasn't very deep. He bit her neck as she arched her back away from him, the feeling sweeping in waves through her body. Her yells turned to a scream as he bit harder.

He didn't stop biting until he drew blood. He let go, licking and sucking at the wound. He loved the taste of her blood.

She panted and gasped as she came down from the orgasm. Eventually her breathing steadied somewhat.

He moved her around, propping her against the wall. He trailed kisses along her jaw line, down her neck, then down to her breasts, sucking and nibbling at her nipples. He continued down her stomach down to her legs. He licked her inner thigh and left a few hickeys. He bit the other leg, where the scars were puffy and red.

She screamed again, but didn't push him away. I t felt good and she hated him for it. She wanted to kill him but knew she couldn't, neither physically or mentally.

He stopped when he broke skin, doing the same as he did at her neck, licking and sucking. He trailed more kisses up to her wet slit. He slipped his little finger inside her experimentally to see if it hurt her.

She cried out a bit. She had loosened up from the foreplay, but it was still tender.

He licked around her entrance, feeling her shudder. He tested out sucking at her clit.

She cried out. She was still incredibly sensitive from orgasming.

He continued licking and sucking. He reached up and clawed at her still-raw sides.

She screamed and pushed his hands away. He sat up and slapped her, one hand on her shoulder. He grinned at her and then punched her again. The hand on her shoulder went to her throat, the other grabbing her face and pushing it against the wall behind her. He squeezed the sides of her neck. He wasn't squeezing her windpipe, so she could still breathe, but he was cutting off the blood flow to her head.

She felt tension build in her skull and her vision faded to black.

He let go when she went limp, them bit at her neck again until she came to and screamed.

"_I told yew to behave,_" he menaced. "Now, are yew gunna be a good girl?" he sneered.

"Yes, sir," she stated curtly, glaring at him.

He slapped her again, then kissed her deeply. He pulled back a bit and bit at the edge of her chapped lip until it bled, too.

She screamed again as he did so.

He pulled back and sneered, "You don't get to look at me like that."

"Yessir," she said quietly, looking away.

"That's better." He grinned, then trailed down her torso again, stopping to suck at her nipples, then returned to between her legs.

She cried out as she writhed around, clutching at the pillows. She arched her back and moaned as he sucked and licked at her. Occasionally he'd slip his finger into her for a moment to test the waters, listening as she cried less each time. He continued this cycle until she came again.

She moaned and cried out. Eventually she faded to whimpering.

He got up and sat against the wall again. He positioned her so that she kneeled straddling him. He opened the condom package and took it out of its wrapper, rolling the condom onto his cock. He bucked involuntarily and grunted as he did so, sensitive to the touch. He was already extremely aroused from listening to her noises and toying with her. He positioned her above his hard cock. He wiped away the tears from her eyes, though she was still crying. "Yeh're sexy when you cry. And yeh're 'bout to cry harder." He placed her hands atop his shoulders, then held her hips and slowly pressed into her.

She screamed as she felt her skin tear. He was right. She started crying in earnest in time to his slow thrusting, but it hurt less than if he hadn't prepared her. Eventually the pain faded enough that she could feel his cock rubbing against her sweet spot. She wasn't sure what the feeling meant, but it felt good. She cried harder, intensely ashamed.

He pulled out and switched positions again now that the initial process was over. She lay down on the bed and he wrapped her legs around him, thrusting into her again. He went faster as he heard her moan louder. He came inside her and pulled out, removing the condom, throwing it into the trashcan beside the bed. He lay down at her side, panting still, and slipped a finger into her. He rubbed at her sweet spot until she came.

A rush of fluid came out of her as she shuddered and moaned, the sensation spreading throughout her body. She couldn't remember where she was and forgot Murdoc was even there.

He laughed as he nuzzled up to her side, holding her. He licked and kissed her neck, still panting.

Her thinking processes returned after a moment and she remembered what had happened. She was worn out. She still couldn't think straight, thanks to the Vicodin. She glanced at the clock. It had been an hour and a half.

Murdoc mumbled into her ear, "Go to sleep now, pet." He was quiet after that; he had fallen asleep with her in his arms.

He didn't even have to tell her; she was too out of it to do anything _but_ sleep. She faded into unconsciousness, hugging him for warmth and a perverse sense of comfort; she was too tired to even slip under the covers. She dreamt strangely peacefully.


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Morning

_[Author's note: this chapter contains misogynistic and homophobic slurs, slut shaming, and abuse, including child abuse. Please note that noble has PTSD and is a self-harmer, but hasn't cut in over a year.]_

7:44 AM. She woke up. Murdoc's arms were still wrapped around her. She moved out of his embrace and sat up.

He stirred a little, opening one eye, then mumbled, "Food's in the kitchen in the Studios. I trust yew can find yehr way."

She didn't say anything. She didn't even look at him. She hated him with a passion. She was seriously considering killing him, but she knew she couldn't handle that.

She got up and got dressed. She couldn't find her shoes. It was cold outside and the ground was damp from the brief rain earlier that morning. She made it to the large building and found her way to the kitchen. It hurt to walk.

She was still high.

She found cereal and milk and fixed herself a bowl. She didn't eat it. She just stared at it for a while.

"Who the 'ell are you?"

She turned her head just enough to look at the source of the sound. That's all it was to her in this state— sound. She couldn't process words. She saw a young man, tall, thin, with blue hair. It took her a moment to realize the sound was actually a sentence, but she didn't understand the question. "What brand of hair dye do you use?" she slurred.

He gave her a funny look. "I don't." He smiled. "It's natural." He made a bowl of cereal for himself and sat at the table across from her. "I'm 2D. Nice to meet you. Yeh're Murdoc's guest?"

"Yeaah." She couldn't talk without slurring her words. She was swaying gently.

"So… what's yehr name, miss?"

She didn't remember what name she'd given Murdoc. "Chrl." She couldn't say the word clearly. She frowned. "Cheeeerl… Cherl. Ugh." She gave up.

"Cherl? Huh." He watched her sway for a bit, munching on his cereal. "Are you high?"

"Yuuup."

"On whot?" He frowned.

"Murdoc gave me something… for my headache." She turned her head to the side, thinking. She still didn't look at him. Her hair blocked her face. "Vicodin? Yeaaah, that. He gave me Vicodin."

"Ah, that ass'ole!" He rubbed his temples.

"Why? Are you Stuwart?"

"Yeah, but you can call me 2D."

"He said you wouldn't mind. Sorry."

"Ah, well, 'e's an ass'ole." He looked at her again. "I don't blame you. It's on him."

She looked up at him. "Ok."

He was taken aback when he saw the bruises and blood. "'Oly shit." He laughed nervously. "'e got rough with you." He assumed it was another kink. It wouldn't be the first time Murdoc participated in BDSM.

She didn't like that answer. It sounded like he was okay with her being raped. "Yeah," she said curtly. "He did."

There was a long awkward silence.

She went back to staring at her cereal. She picked up the spoon and went to take a bite, but she put it back down. She was too nauseous to eat.

'So, uhh… where you from?"

"Durham."

"Really? You don't sound like yeh're from England."

"Nah, dude, Durham _North Carolina._"

"Oh. Where's that?"  
"''Mer'ca."

"Where?"

"A. Mer. I. Ca." She spaced out each syllable condescendingly.

Behind her came another voice. "Oh, yew found yehr way to the kitchen. Yeh're not as airheaded as I thought."

"Hey!" 2D said indignantly.

"Not yew, dullard! _Her_." He put his hand at the back of her neck and pressed his fingers into the bruised bite mark.

She yelped in pain and swatted his hand away.

He walked around to her side and dropped a pair of shoes on the table. "Yew forgot these," he menaced. He tossed her head with one hand.

She started to cry. She covered her head and started shaking. She slipped into a flashback, forgetting where she actually was. She was back to her childhood home. She heard her father spitting insults at her. _"Whore! Slut! Yer gun' grow up ta be a faylyure, a hooker or somthin'. Hell, yer alredy a faylyure, faggot!"_

Murdoc couldn't tell that she was in a flashback. He thought she was shaking in fear of him. He cackled. "What a baby!"

2d was speechless for a sec, realizing what was actually going on. "Wait a minute! You… oh my God, you ass'ole! You didn't…. No, you did!"

Murdoc laughed again. "So what if I did?"

"You… you _bastard! _You drugged and raped her, didn't you!" 2D knew "bastard" was a sore spot for Murdoc.

Murdoc picked up one of Noble's shoes and hit 2D with it. He tossed Noble's head again for good measure, then left the room.

2D stared in horror at Noble. He didn't know what to say.

There was silence for a stretch of time.

"Hey… I'm sorry. I didn't realize whot he did to you. I thought it was just another one of his, you know… kinks. I'm so sorry. I'll get you out of here. I'll drive you home."

She didn't answer.

He took her silence as anger. "I'm really sorry. I'll make sure you get home safe. Well, I should probably take you to the hospital first. Is that okay with you?"

Silence.

Russell entered the room. "Who's this chick?"

"Well, uh, Murdoc… he… he had his way with her… in a bad way…." 2D didn't know how to phrase it. He felt ashamed, too, and guilty.

"Oh. Oh, _shit!_"

2D wrapped his arms around himself, hands to his shoulders, and looked away. "Yeah."

"Hey, uh, hey, lady, I mean, miss…"

"Cherl," 2D supplied.

Russell took a seat next to Noble. "Hey, listen… I'm sorry about what happened. We can take you home if you want. We won't let him hurt you anymore."

She didn't say anything, didn't even hear him.

"Miss? Cherl?"

Silenced.

"Are you… are you still here?"

She didn't answer.

"2D, get me a bag of ice."

2D had no idea what was going on, but he fetched the ice and handed the bag to Russell. Russell placed the bag on the back of Noble's neck and waited.

She returned to reality after a few minutes. She looked up with a start, heart pounding. She looked around and half-yelled, "Motherfucker!" She grabbed at the ice and held it in place so it wouldn't fall. She looked to her left and saw Russell. "Who tha _fuck_ are you?!"

"I'm Russell. Do you know where you are?"

"Mutherfucker!" she yelled at the table. "Shit!" She waited a bit, regaining her bearings. "Ah'm in a kitchen," she drawled.

"What's with the accent?" 2D asked, incredulous. He had no idea what was happening.

"Motherfucker!" She wasn't saying it to him, just shouting it out. She slapped the table, then again, a few more times.

"You back now, Cherl?"

"It's Cher_yl._ And yeah, Ah'm back. Dammit!"

"Can you take a deep breath?"

She breathed in, counting in her head. _1, 2, 3, 4. _The held the breath. _1, 2, 3, 4. _She let out the breath. _1, 2, 3, 4._ She repeated the cycle a couple times.

"You alright now?"

"Yeah… yeah, I guess." She returned to her normal accent now that she wasn't filled with rage. She took the bag of ice and gingerly pressed it to her face.

"Did you even hear me before?" 2D was still oblivious.

"Nah, man, sorry. I wasn't here."

"Whot's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, um…" she didn't know how to explain it in layman's terms.

Russell supplied, "Flashback."

"Oh. Uh, ok." 2D didn't have much experience with that kind of stuff, but he knew that Russell had mentioned flashbacks a few times when referring to the car accident with Del.

Noble spoke up again. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"We can drive you home. We should probably stop by the hospital first, though."

"No no no no no, no hospital." She didn't like hospitals. They made her paranoid that she'd be put in a psych ward again, or be shipped off to a facility.

"Well, ok, but we should still get you home." 2D put down his arms on the table.

"I don't have a home. I don't have anywhere to go." She wrapped her arms around herself, the same way 2D had before. "I don't have any friends to stay with. I never want to even look at another hobo shelter."

There was silence for a while.

Murdoc came back into the room. "Ah so the boys are all here now! Looks like the pet's—"

Noble spun around, standing with one leg kneeling on the chair. She punched him in the chest before he finished his sentence. It didn't hurt him, but it made him stumble and drop the bottle of vodka he was holding, which shattered on the floor. She picked up her chair and was about to hit him with it, but he swatted it out of her hands. She put up her arms in front of her face, flinching away.

He reared back to punch her, but couldn't follow through before he was punched in the face by Russell.

Russell knocked Murdoc to the ground. "You want me to break your nose again?! Trust me, I can make it even uglier, you sick sunuvabitch!"

Murdoc look at Russell in horror, then looked at Noble and laughed. He got up from the floor, smiling maliciously. "Oh, so you got them on yehr side now, yew little slut." He had been cut by the glass. He'd probably need stitches.

Russell put a hand on Murdoc's chest, shoving him, but not hard, just shoving him to keep him away from Noble. Murdoc kept walking towards her and Russell kept shoving him back a few steps.

"How'd yew do that, pet? Yew promise a few favors, huh?" he taunted. "Yeh're just another little slut, aren't you?"

By this point, 2D had walked around the table and stood beside Noble.

"_Yer' _the only slut here, you li'l _bitch!" _she snarled. She tried to lunge at him but 2D held her back. "Ah'ma kill you, bastard!"

"Fucking dyke!" he threw back.

The blood drained from her face. "_Don't call me that!" _ she screamed. She tried to lunge at him again, but 2D grabbed her arms and held them behind her back by the elbows. He was frightened by the whole thing.

_"Don't call me bastard!" _he screamed back.

Russell had to practically drag Murdoc down the hallway, who kept screaming obscenities.

"Faggot! Dyke! Bitch cunt whore! Fat cow!"

Eventually they heard the sound of the door opening and slamming shut.

Noble breathed heavily for a few moments, 2D still holding her arms. Eventually the anger faded and she and started crying instead.

2D let go of her arms and picked up the chair that had been tossed to the floor. He guided her down to sit in it. He sat down next to her.

They sat like that in silence.

Noble picked up the bag of ice and pressed it to her neck, wincing.

"Is… is there anything I can get for you?" he offered.

She shrugged. "Do you have any medi supplies?"

"I don't think so, but we can drive to town and get some."

She was quiet for a bit, then, "I need clothes."

"I don't think any of our clothes will fit you, except maybe Murdoc's, but I don't think you want that."

She shook her head.

"We can buy some clothes."

He was right; 2D was skinnier than here, Russell's clothes would definitely be too big, and she'd never wear Murdoc's clothes, which would still be a bit small. She was a little chubby.

"Okay." She paused. "Is there a bathroom I can use?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He got up and she followed him downstairs.

It still hurt to walk, but she could walk straight now that she wasn't high.

He gestured to the door. "I'll wait out here."

When she pulled down her pants to use the toilet, she saw that her underwear was stained with blood. At first she thought it was her period, but then realized it was from the rape. The bite mark was inflamed and red and purple. She started crying. It hurt to piss.

She finished up and went to one of the sinks. She looked in the mirror. She had a black eye, a busted lip, and a bloody nose that had dried. The bite mark on her neck was swollen and matched the one on her thigh. She pulled at her collar to look at the scratches on her chest. They were red and raw. Scabs had formed. It had only been a few hours. She wasn't sure if the bites would need stitching. She knew she should see a doctor, but she also knew how to take care of wounds. She just needed a medi kit and it'd be okay. She'd done stitches before.

She washed her hands and face and walked out of the bathroom. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

2D didn't know what to do. He'd never faced comforting someone else in this situation. He was extremely uncomfortable with the whole ordeal and wanted to do anything he could to help.

"Can we go now?" she asked quietly, not making eye contact.

"Yeah."


	3. Chapter 3: Shopping for Help

_[AN: Thischapter is mostly about fashion. Oops.]_

They went outside and started walking to the car. Russell was at the Winnebago with Murdoc. When he saw them, he shoved Murdoc into the trailer, said, "You stay in there," and slammed the door. He walked over to them and asked, "Where you two going?"

"Shopping. Clothes and medical supplies." 2D rubbed the back of his neck. The whole situation was unsettling for him.

"Well count me in." He laughed.

She didn't get what was so funny. Probably an inside joke.

They drove in silence for a while. She had her blanket in the car from earlier that morning. She sat in the passenger seat wrapped up like a burrito.

"What all do you need?"

"Ah, um… clothes, medi kit, um," she blushed. "Feminine products."

"Okay. We'll stop at the drugstore first."

They were quiet again for a while.

"You know what I don't get?" Russell asked.

"What?" Noble replied.

"Driving on the left side of the road. How did that come about?"

She laughed. "I know, right? Took me a while to get used to it." She sighed. "I had to learn how to drive all over again when I came here, and lemme tell you, learning without my parents to teach me the _first_ time was not fun."

He laughed.

"Whot, do you drive on the other side of the road where yeh're from?" queried 2D.

Noble laughed. "Yeah. And the steering wheel's on the left side of the car."

"That's crazy!"

Russell and Noble laughed. 2D laughed after a moment, too.

"So…" started Noble." Where exactly are you from originally, Russell?"

"Brooklyn. You?"

"NC. I moved here as soon as I was legal, a couple years ago."

"Ah. You get an accent sometimes."

"Yeah, when I'm mad."

More silence. They reached the drugstore.

She grabbed a package of pads and a couple of first aid kits. Bandages, gauze, ointment, liquid bandage, etc. A couple bottles of peroxide and rubbing alcohol. But she couldn't find stitches. She figured she probably didn't need them, as long as she kept the bites clean.

She walked up to the guys and said, "Okay."

"Are you sure that's all you need?" Russell asked. "You can get some other stuff if you want." When she hesitated to answer, he added, "Don't worry about money. It's on Murdoc's card." He grinned.

She went over to the wall of makeup. She grabbed liquid concealer and foundation, powder foundation, setting powder, eye liner, mascara, eye shadow, blush, lipliner and lipstain. She got a couple packets of chapstick and bobby pins. Then a bag of cotton balls, a makeup brush and a makeup sponge. She got some makeup remover, too. Next she grabbed a hair brush, deodorant— which she really needed after half a week without—, shampoo, and conditioner. Toothbrush, tooth paste, all the hygiene products she thought she'd need. She grabbed some hair dye a shade brighter than her own that still matched her natural color, just to run up the bill. She thought for a bit, then grabbed vitamins and some scar cream— the biggest, most expensive bottle she could find. A couple packets of gum.

They went to the register and Russell paid for all her items, and some other makeup.

"Who's that for?"

"Me," he replied.

"Oh. Cool."

"Hey, 2D, you want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good." He still seemed uncomfortable.

"Okay."

Noble took the makeup, pads, one of the medi kits, and some of the hygiene products into the bathroom. She took care of the wounds and put a large bandage on her neck to cover the bite. She didn't cover the other wounds, to let them breathe, but wanted to hide the one on her neck. She used the concealer to cover most of the bruises on her face, then used the eye shadow to help make her skin look more natural. Her eye was red, but there was nothing she could do about that.

She came out of the bathroom and the trio headed to the clothes mart. Noble headed to the men's section and picked out a pair of semi-casual button down shirts and a sports coat that fit her figure well. She picked out some black khakis, black camo cargo pants, and S137 camo cargo shorts, her favorite pattern. She knew her size in men's pants by experience.

When they went to the women's section, she stalled. "I don't know how to shop here."

Russell rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, any idea what style you're going for?"

"Black."

"Just black?"

"Yeah, no graphics. Low-key patterns, if any."

He helped her pick out a few plain black femme-cut tees.

She grabbed a couple solid color shits for good measure, all the same style as the black, and one of each color of the rainbow. Next came some fishtail blouses with lace on the bottom hem, one with black lace and another with white lace. A black blouse with ruffles.

Next came pants. She didn't know her size, so she would have to try them on. She picked out some fish-tail flare jeans, two in denim blue, two in black. Black solid leggings and mid-thigh black denim shorts.

"Do you want to get any dresses or skirts?" Russell asked. "I'm going to buy some myself."

They headed to the dress section. She couldn't find any dresses she liked, but she found a circle skirt.

She went to the underwear section next while the other two looked at dresses. She picked out several bargain packs of boxer-briefs, briefs, and panties, along with a couple of cheap plain nude, white, and black full cup bras. Then a couple extra-tight sports bras. She grabbed some pajamas on her way back to the guys.

When she got back to the dress section, Russell had picked out two dresses: one pink, one purple.

Noble didn't think it was weird for him to like "feminine" things. She'd been a makeup artist for drag events back in America, after her daddy lost custody of her and her brothers. In her opinion, clothes shouldn't be pinned on one gender or another.

They headed to the fitting rooms. When Noble undressed to try on the shirts, she started crying. The scratches were red and raw with crusty scabs that feathered out at the edges.

2D knocked at the door. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She finished trying on the shirts. The bite on her leg was red and angry and scabbing over. It was much deeper than the superficial one on her neck. She didn't have the energy to cry over it.

When she was done trying on the clothes, she came out of the dressing room, wiping her eyes gently, trying not to press on the bruise. She didn't look 2D in the eye.

Russell came out when he was finished trying on his dresses. "Anything else you need?"

"I don't think so."

He thought for a minute, then said, "You need a jacket. It's too cold out not to have one."

At the jacket section, she immediately saw what she wanted. She rushed up to the rack and tried on the one she wanted. It had two rows of buttons and a dip hem. It was a little snug. She put it back and searched for a larger one.

"Huh, a military jacket?" Russell said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Never thought of that."

She found one in her size and tried it on, buttoning it up to size-check. She flipped up the collar. It hid her neck wound.

"That looks great on you," Russell critiqued.

"It's perfect. I love it."

They paid up, then Noble changed in the bathroom. She stuffed her old clothing into a spare bag.

They headed outside.


	4. Chapter 4: The Lace Doctor

_[Author's Note: all previous warnings apply. Still probably OOC. Any advice on how to make them less OOC would be great!][AN: I edited this chapter bc I forgot a few things]_

They got back into the car, but before they got out of parking, Russell spoke.

"Look I know you don't want to go to the hospital, but you really need to get that bite checked out. It might get infected."

"Judging by how much Murdoc's breath stinks," she replied, "it's definitely going to get infected. But I can handle it."

They sat like that for a while. "Are you sure you don't want to get checked out?"

She sighed and thought about it. "I know a doctor who might be willing to check it out."

She gave directions to a beat-up apartment complex. "You two stay here."

They watched from the car as she knocked on one of the doors. A woman came out, maybe in her late thirties or early forties. She hugged Noble and let her in.

Inside, the woman, Lace, spoke to Noble. "Cheryl, I haven't seen you in ages— I was starting to wonder if you'd show up in the obituaries. What are you here for? You know I can't let you stay here. Did you just want to catch up and say 'hi'?"

"I need you to check out something. Medically."

"Oh, please tell me you aren't pregnant."

"I'm not pregnant!" Noble laughed. "Why do you always think it's that? You know I'm not like that." She looked away to hid the little bit of shame she felt. _Stupid. Naïve little girl. Never trust a strange man._ She could imagine Lace telling her that if she told the truth. She knew Aunt Lace would never actually say that, but Noble's shame was taking a toll on her.

"Okay, good. You know how I worry." Lace smiled. "Now, what is it you need checked out?"

Noble flipped down her collar. Lace gently peeled off the bandage, making Noble wince, and Noble heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Cherry… what, what happened?"

"A friend was selling a pet monkey and it got loose during transport."

She clicked her tongue. "Sweetie, I know you're lying. This is a human bite." She turned Noble's face to look her in the eye. "Tell me the truth. What happened?"

Noble looked into Lace's kind face and started to cry.

Lace hugged her and rocked her back and forth the way she did when Noble was young. "Go on, let it all out."

Noble sobbed into Lace's shoulder. After a few moments, she calmed down a bit, still hiccupping. "I… I was raped." She held her head in her hands.

Again, Lace took in a sharp breath.

"It's okay though, he's under lock and key. He won't be able to get to me at all." It was a lie, and Noble knew it, But Lace couldn't tell for once.

"Do you have sleeping arrangements? I know you got evicted. I saw some of your stuff being sold at a pawn shop."

"Was it Chaz's shop?" Noble had a sudden jolt of hope.

"Yes, I do believe it was that under-the table fellow's place." She said it with a bit of well-intentioned distain in her voice.

"I'll have to go there. Someone stole my stuff from me."

"Well, that's karma for you!" Lace laughed, and Noble did too. "Let me get a better look. Come in here and sit on the table." She led Noble into the examination room she ran out of her flat.

Noble sat on the low table.

Lace swabbed at it with alcohol pads. "I can't give you stitches for this. It's contaminated. I want you to clean it three times a day. Come back immediately if you see read lines or pus, or at the first signs of a fever, whichever comes first."

"Okay, but, I, uh," Noble started. She paused a moment, then took off her shirt, earning a full-blown gasp.

"Oh, sweetie…."

Noble started crying again. Lace cleaned the scratches, too, then applied zinc oxide cream over the cracked edges to provide a clean seal, then wrapped gauze across Noble's chest and mid-section. She gave her a tube of the cream to take home. "Use this on the open skin and let the wounds breathe after 24 hours."

"Isn't this diaper rash cream?"

"It serves well for burns, too."

"They aren't burns," Noble said quietly.

"Pardon?"

"They're scratches."

"Oh, My…." Lace didn't know what to say. "Well… it'll still work for them. Is there anything else?"

Noble nodded after she put on her shirt. She took down her pants.

Lace was quiet for a few moments. "That bastard has something coming to him, and karma isn't going to be enough." It was a rarity to hear Aunt Lace curse.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Noble laughed. "Did you see the big guy in the car? He's my new unofficial body guard. He's taking care of that," she said cockily.

"If you say so." She took care of the bite like she had the one on Noble's neck. "This one's worse. Take extra care of it. And don't be afraid to come back if you need any more help."

"Okay." Noble put her pants back on. She hesitated, then asked, "How bad will these scar?"

"Oh sweetie…" She looked at her sympathetically. "I don't know. I haven't seen anything like those scratches before, and I've never had a follow-up from anyone with a bite." She thought for a moment. "The bites are going to scar, especially the one on your leg. The scratches will scar less. Other than that, I don't know."

"Thank you, Aunt Lace." She got down off the table and hugged her aunt one last time before she left. "I'll come back with an update soon. I love you. Goodbye."

"I'll count on it. I love you, too. Goodbye."

Noble started towards the door, then thought again. "Um, Aunt Lace?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I need some stitches to take home. There was a fight and one of the guys got cut with glass." She hoped Aunt Lace would assume that 'one of the guys' meant one of the junkies that Noble was known to hang out with.

"Are you sure that's why?" Lace gave noble a playful but knowing look. "You're not planning on hurting yourself, are you?"

"Oh, no, no, of course not. Well, actually, that's another good reason for you to give me stitches. I don't plan on it," Noble lied, "but it'll happen eventually."

Lace looked at her for a moment, then sighed. "You're right. I want you to be safe, but don't think that's permission to be reckless, okay?" She walked into the exam room and came back with a full pack of sutures and needles. "Be safe sweetie. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Noble hugged her Aunt again and walked out the door.

Noble returned to the waiting car. "There, happy?"

"As long as you'll be alright," from Russell. "Yeah."

2D had been silent the whole time, sitting in the back seat.

After a bit of driving, Noble turned to look at him over her shoulder and spoke coldly. "You don't say much, do you?"

"Yeah," added Russell, "You're pretty quiet today, 2D."

2D shrugged. He couldn't make out what the look on Noble's face. It was calculating, but a little curious, as if she couldn't get a read on him, either. He looked away. "I'm just tired."

Noble turned forward again, adding, "Hah, you and me both."

Russell could feel the tension between the two of them, but didn't say anything. He turned on the radio. They listened to the local hip-hop station as they drove. 2D hummed along to the songs he knew.

"Uh, this is a weird request, but I need something from the pawn shop," Noble said into the air.


	5. Chapter 5: 'My Gun, Old Man'

_[AN: I don't actually know much about the type of lifestyle I'm portraying for Noble except from books and TV, but I'm doing my best. Talk of drugs, murder, and self-harm.]_

"Whadya need at a _pawnshop_?" Russell asked quizzically.

"Some of my stuff was stolen and I want to get it back. I might be able to get it for free."

"Ooookay." He turned the corner and they found the pawnshop they were looking for.

"You don't have to come in if you don't want."

Russell looked around. "I think it's safer if I did."

Noble rolled her eyes. Yeah, the place was shady, but Noble was naive enough to think she'd be safe.

They got out of the car and went into the shop. It was poorly lit and stunk of smoke and dust. The golden light made the place look like a cliché movie scene. The man behind the counter, on the other hand, was in his mid-twenties and was dressed in a button down shirt, a vest, and a green tie. He was clean-shaven and well groomed, and had a smile on his face.

"Oh, look who's here! Why, isn't it my favorite princess? I thought you were dead! So glad to see you again."

"Damn, you thought I was dead, too? So did Lace. And you both act like it ain't a big deal!"

"I've been preparing for happenstance. You don't have the best track record, young lady." He looked at the men but didn't acknowledge them, which irritated the both of them. They didn't say anything yet.

"So, what are you here for?"

"My gun, old man."

"Whot!" 2D muttered under his breath.

"It's a joke." Noble rolled her eyes, even though 2D couldn't see.

The man laughed at that. "'Old man'? Have you been talking to your father again?"

"Nah man, Charlie killed him. In November." She said it non-chalantly, like it wasn't of any consequence.

2D and Russell looked at each other.

The man behind the counter was taken aback. "Oh, well then. Didn't even last 'til your birthday."

"Yeah, it's great, right?"

He sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "I suppose so, at least for you. Not good for my business though."

"Oh, you'll get over it. Now, my gun, Chaz."

The man, apparently named Chaz, went over to the hidden case and took out the gun along with the rounds she had been carrying. He didn't put the goods on the counter yet. "This is a good gun. It's been well taken care of. It could fetch me a pretty pence."

"Well, what a coincidence! Freddy owes me a pretty pence. You can hit him up for it."

"Oh? How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"I'll call him up and ask him to come here and tell you himself. I don't think he'd like to be bothered right now." She tried to sound tough.

Chaz chuckled. "You don't scare me, little girl."

"Dammit, Ah ain't a li'l gurl!" The comment came as a sort of personal offence.

Chaz put his hands up and laughed. "Whatever you say."

Noble huffed a bit, then calmed down. "Now, the gun?"

"Fine. But you'll be hearing from me if I don't get paid." He laughed ironically.

She laughed, too. "Good luck finding me."

"I'm sure your friends here will take care of you. Who are they this time?" He looked at them in distain.

Russell was pissed at that, and 2D was indignant, exclaiming, "Wait a minute! Whot's that suppo—"

"They aren't part of the crew, Chaz." Another eye roll. "They're a better pair than usual."

"Oh, my apologies." He made a short bow to them. "I'm not used to her acquaintances being of a respectable standard."

"Pffft! Shudup!" She laughed. "This is Russell and 2D."

"Two… Dee?" Chaz looked at them quizzically, not sure who to direct the comment towards. He shook their hands.

"Yeah, mate. Stands for the two dents in my head." 2D knocked on his head for emphasis as he spoke.

Noble laughed. "Oh is that it? I was wondering."

"Well," Chaz spoke, "it was nice meeting you two. I suppose you'll be off now," he said meaningfully. He handed Noble her items.

Noble took the hint; he didn't want to be seen talking to her— or dealing in illegal goods. "Chaz." She nodded her goodbye to him.

He smiled. "Be good."

"I will." The three of them left.

They got back to the car, Noble hiding her gun in her jacket.

They drove for a bit, listening to the radio, then 2D asked from the backseat, "So… Cheryl—"

"Actually, my name is Noble. I don't know why I told you to call me Cheryl. I was too out of it to think."

"Oh… Noble?"

"Yes, Noble. I know, weird."

"Well… Noble… exactly how old _are _you?"

She didn't answer at first, and 2D gave up hoping for an answer, but then she spoke. "I'm eighteen."

Russell swerved a bit, then braked.

"Whot?!"

"What?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"As of last week."

"Ah _hell_ no!" Russell exclaimed. "I thought you said you'd been living on your own for years?!"

"Don't you have some sort of family to live with?" from the back seat.

"I was an emancipated minor."

"Whot's that?"

"I'm legally able to live on my own."

"Are you legally allowed to own a gun?!" from Russell.

"Guns are outlawed here."

"Yeah, but even in America?!"

"No." A curt reply.

They were quiet for a while.

"Can we go now?" Noble said gruffly.

Russell looked at her, still taken aback. "Yeah, yeah. Sure."

They continued driving. Noble was exhausted. She had gotten barely any sleep at all in the last couple days.

They listen to the music, not saying anything.

Noble found her zune lying on the floorboards in front of her. She listened to the Beatles for a bit and nodded off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Eight PM

_[AN: I know that Noble's reaction and how she acts toward Murdoc from now on is weird, but I find that there are too many stereotypes about how abuse victims react. I'm basically making an exaggerated caricature of my reaction in an abusive relationship I recently ended, but the character is not me. That's actually the main reason I'm writing this story: disassembling stereotypes and helping myself move on. All previous warnings apply.][PS, if you were wondering, a zune is an mp4 player made by Microsoft. I grew up with the 30 gig from 2006 back when IPods only had 2 gigs. People didn't believe me when I'd tell them.][PPS, I'm putting the timeline as close to cannon timeline as I can. So far so good. It's currently 2006 in the story, meaning 2D is 28, Noodle is 16, Murdoc is 40, and Russell is 31. It's March.]_

Noble woke up when the car stopped. They had arrived back at Kong. She got out of the car and grabbed all her bags. She carried all her stuff into the building and didn't know where to go. She heard a washer-drier somewhere in the building.

"Hey, so, uh, where am I going?" she asked, turning to look over her shoulder.

Russell thought for a moment, then said, "Lemme ask Noodle if you can stay in her room."

"Noodle?" She looked at him funny.

"Our guitarist."

"His name's Noodle?"

"_Her_ name is Noodle."

"Oh, sorry."

"It was the only English word she knew when we met her," supplied 2D with a smile, "so we called her Noodle."

"Where's she from? Does she know English now?"

"Yeah," Russell answered, a little irritate. "She's Japanese and has been with us for six years now. She speaks English."

"Oh. Ok." Noble was too tired to say much more.

She sat her bags down at the table while Russell went to fetch Noodle. She took a seat where she had that morning, sitting cross-legged.

2D sat across from her, the same as that morning. They were quiet, the he spoke. "Hey, I want to say again, I'm really sorry about how I reacted this morning at first. I didn't realize…." His voice trailed off.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'again'?"

"I said sorry this morning, after Murdoc had left the room. Remember?"

"Oh. I didn't hear you. I wasn't quite there at the time."

"Well, I'm sorry. When I first saw you, I just figure you were another girl he'd found to, y'know, do pain-play with."

She blushed and looked down at the table.

He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing himself. "After you started crying, I realized that he… he'd had his way with you… like he did. I yelled at him and he left the room. I'm… I'm really sorry."

"I didn't realize…. I'm sorry; I've been a complete dick to you all day. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to say sorry. It's not your fault that you didn't hear me. You didn't know."

She was quiet for a minute.

He broke the silence. "Let's start over." He extended his hand. "I'm 2D. It's nice to meet you."

She shook his hand. "I'm Noble. It's nice to meet you, too." She gave him a weak smile.

"Noble is an interesting name."

"As is 2D."

He laughed a bit. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Russell came down stairs. "Hey, Noble, you wanna meet Noodle?"

"Sure."

Noble picked up her bags and Russell led her up the stairs. They went to Noodle's room. Before they went in, Russell stopped at the door and spoke to Noble. "Listen… about the whole thing with Murdoc… I don't want you to tell Noodle about it. I don't think she'd take it very well."

Noble was pensive. She chewed on the thought for a bit. "Okay."

"So, here's the story: Murdoc took you off the streets."

"Yeah, yeah. 'Out of the kindness of his heart,'" she said bitterly. "Anything else?"

"If she asks about your injuries, say you were mugged. Try to hide that bite on your neck. It's a dead giveaway."

"Okay." Noble was quiet. She hugged herself and looked at the floor, wondering how it might be "a dead giveaway."

"I think it's best if she doesn't know the truth."

Russell knocked and opened the door.

Noodle was sitting on her bed, playing on a hand-held GEEP game.

That was the first thing Noble noticed: the GEEP. The next thing she noticed was how young Noodle was. She was expecting her to be older. The third thing she noticed was how pretty she was. Not in a sexual way; Noble just found her pretty.

"Hi."

Noodle looked up from her game. "Hellooo." She returned to her game.

"Uh… where do I sleep?"

"That's up to you two," shrugged Russell.

"Do you have extra linens? I can sleep on the floor."

"Sure, I'll go get you some." He left to search for something clean for Noble.

She put down her bags in a corner and sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. She had already started nodding off by the time Russell came back with blankets and a pillow.

She awoke with a start when she heard his footsteps, momentarily forgetting where she was. After she realized where she was, she looked up and said, "Thanks."

"No problem. You get some rest."

She nodded and arranged the blankets in a make-shift nest. She took off her jacket and crawled under the covers and fell asleep to the sounds of Noodle's GEEP and the washer-dryer downstairs.


	7. Chapter 7: (Don't) Pull the Trigger

_[AN: Here starts the part where the grooming Noble's been through starts to show. Sorry if OOC, I don't know how Murdoc would react in this situation. Going back to focusing on the rape and assault a bit, also contains a mild bit of gore. Heavy on suicide and murder with mentions of child abuse. I suggest reading the chapter again when you finish so that you can notice the diction better. And don't worry, this isn't the end of the story. All previous warnings apply.]_

There was a metallic _thunk_ from downstairs. The washer-dryer; the cycle had stopped earlier that evening.

Noble sat up. She'd been having a nightmare. She didn't want to go back to sleep yet. She decided to go downstairs for a while; there was obviously someone awake. She had no idea what time it was.

Noodle was sound asleep.

Noble quietly made her way down the stairs. She was just in time to see Murdoc leave the building, carrying his bedding.

She panicked for a second, then realized he hadn't seen her.

Something had been bugging her since the fight that morning.

She quietly made her way back upstairs. She put her shoes back on and stuffed a medi kit into her pocket. She grabbed her gun, checking the chamber, then quietly made her way back down the steps, then out the door. She went to the Winne and stopped, hesitating. Did she really want to do this? She decided to go ahead; it would drive her crazy if she didn't go follow through with the plan. She checked the gun's chamber again, just to make sure. Hiding her gun behind her back, she opened the door and stepped in.

Murdoc looked up from his book, lying on top of his newly-made bed. His left hand was wrapped in a dishcloth. "Oh, come back for more, pet? I know, I'm just irresistible." He grinned at her.

She raised the gun straight in front of her, pointing at him. She showed absolutely no emotion; her face was neutral and peaceful, as if watching leaves blow in the wind; her arm was steady, not shaking.

Murdoc's grin disappeared. He paled, frozen, eyes wide in shock.

She walked forward slowly, one step at a time, still showing no emotion, crossing the room. She stopped when the gun was pressed against his forehead. She stood there for a complete minute, not saying nor doing anything.

He stared at her in terror. He waited. Seconds felt like minutes.

When she was satisfied with his level of fear, she told him, "Show me your hands."

He slowly put down his book, sat up and lifted his hands, palms forward beside his head, to show they were empty.

Noble tucked her gun into the pocket of her pajama pants, taking his wrapped hand into her now-empty ones. She sat down on the bed beside him, setting her medi kit in his lap, and gently unwrapped the cloth. The cuts weren't terribly deep, but she was right about them needing stitches. "Can you move your fingers?"

He was still staring in shock, but he obeyed, wiggling his fingers. A few of the cuts opened up again, oozing blood and making him wince.

"How long did these bleed for?" Her tone was conversational, not demanding, as if discussing the weather.

He swallowed hard. "About half an hour?"

She looked at the cuts a moment more, then opened the medi kit and pulled out the sutures and needle she had stashed there earlier. She opened an alcohol pad and swabbed at the cuts. She turned his hand this way and that, then said, "There's some glass embedded in this one," pointing so he could see.

He looked where she pointed, but couldn't tell where the glass was. He looked at her in confusion, still in shock. What was she doing?

She tucked her legs up on the bed on their side and placed his hand on her knee. She took out a pair of tweezers and said, "Stay still. This'll hurt." She started pulling out a small shard of glass that he hadn't seen.

"Ouch!" he jerked his hand away.

She pulled out her gun quickly and put it at his forehead, dropping her tweezers as she did so. She had a borderline-bored look on her face. "Give me your hand." She spoke non-chalantly again.

He slowly put his hand forward again.

She put her gun away and took his hand gently, placing it where it had been before. She picked up the tweezers and pulled out another piece.

"Ouch! Fuck!" He jerked again, but quickly put his hand back before she pulled her gun all the way out. His pulse was pounding.

She gently grabbed his hand again, turning it this way and that, looking for any more glass. After deciding it was clear, she pulled out another alcohol pad and swabbed again.

He winced.

She pulled out a packet. "Are you allergic to iodine?" She spoke softly, quietly.

"I don't think so." He swallowed hard.

She swabbed the cuts with the iodine from the packet. She brought out the needle and sutures. The needle was curved. "I don't have any anesthetic, so you're gunna feel this. Try best not to move." She used pliers to hold the needle, pushing it through one side then pulling it out the other, then tying a knot and repeating.

He twitched when she put the needle in, but he followed her directions and tried to stay still.

When she was finished with that cut, she snipped the thread and moved on to another.

The pain was getting to him on this one. He twitched whenever the needle pierced his skin. He could feel it sliding through his skin, and then the thread tugging through.

She finished that cut and repeated the same as she had before.

He was feeling lightheaded and was starting to sweat. When Noble pricked a sensitive patch of skin near the webbing of his thumb, he jerked away again. "Ow- Fuck!"

She held the needle in one hand, thread hanging between them, and drew her gun with the other. She cocked an eyebrow at him, not saying anything.

He didn't move at first, just stared in terror, eyes flicking between her and the gun.

She cocked the gun.

He swallowed hard, working up the courage to speak. "Why the hell are yew doing this?! Threatening to kill me if I don't let yew sew me up?! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, honestly, I don't give a shit if you die. That'd be great. However, I don't appreciate infections. They aren't fun, trust me. And, for better or for worse, I can't stand the thought of letting someone go without medical attention. Force of habit. I'm sure you'd understand if you'd been through what I have. So. Are you going to give me your hand, or should I pull the trigger?" She was as calm as before, still conversational in tone.

He looked at her a moment more, then lowered his hand again.

She finished stitching that cut, then moved on to the last one that needed stitches, repeating the process.

He twitched the same as before, grunting and swearing the whole while.

She finished the stitches, then used another alcohol pad to clean the area again. "Don't get them wet for a while. About three or four days. I'll take the stitches out then. Tell me if the lacerations get red or leak pus." She took out a large bandage and placed it over his hand. "Take this off tomorrow."

He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. "Thank yew." His voice was shaky.

She packed up the medi kit and stuffed it in her pocket, then drew her gun and pointed it at him again. "You're never going to hurt me like that again, are you?" Her words were quiet, but not wavering; they were extremely meaningful, incredible serious. It wasn't a question, it was a suggestion that dared him to dissent from. She was more intimidating in that moment than she had been that entire time.

"No. No ma'am." His heart pounded louder in his ears.

"You promise?" Her words were strong now.

"I- I promise! I swear! I won't hurt you."

"Good." She sounded cheerful for a second, smiling briefly. She put away her gun and started to stand up before stopping, sitting back down. She looked at Murdoc, cocking her head. She pulled her gun back out and put it against his forehead again. "On second thought, maybe I _should_ kill you." She spoke the same as before, casual, no force behind her words. She sounded like she was discussing which flavor of ice-cream to buy from the store.

Murdoc had his eyes on the gun. He was really sweating now. He swallowed hard, raising his hands again. He looked at her again. His eyes flickered to her neck, where the bandage covered the bite he'd left. He could see her pulsepoint beating quickly. His Eyes narrowed. "Yeh're afraid."

Her eyes widened, her lips parting ever so slightly. The color drained from her face.

"Yeh're not going to kill me. Yew don't have it in yew."

She swallowed hard. Her façade disappeared. He had been right; she'd been faking her calmness the whole time. She blinked a few times, tears starting to sting her eyes. She _was_ afraid.

He grabbed the gun out of her hand before she could react. He pointed it at her, arm out straight. "Jokes on yew. And _trust_ me pet, I, for one, am not afraid of killing yew." He was lying, but she wouldn't be able to tell for now. "Now, what should I do with yew?" He grinned, heart still pounding.

She started breathing raggedly. It was obvious that she was fighting tears. She pursed her lips. "Please don't hurt me." Her voice wavered. Her southern accent was coming back, but only faintly.

He laughed. "Yew think I won't take the opportunity that has fallen in my lap, pet? Why, I could make you do anything, couldn't I?"

She swallowed hard, then took a deep breath.

He didn't recognize what the shift in her eyes meant.

She slapped his wrist and grabbed the gun, standing up and jumping a step back. She held the gun in one hand, the other hand on her wrist, pointing it at the floor out of reflex.

"What the-"

She pointed it at him again.

"How the _fuck_ did yew do that?!"

"You think Ah don't know how to handle a gun?" Her accent was thick now. "Ah've seen mah daddy pull that move a dozen tahmes before. Ah know whut it looks lahke with the barrel agaynst mah head, too. And Ah knew he'd pull that trigger, too, if I didn't do it raight. I had to learn reeeeal quick. So don't think Ah don't know guns, you sick sunuvabitch!" She shook her head. She was talking loudly, not quite yelling. She was half rambling now.

"I- please-"

"Shudup!" She took a deep breath. "Put yer hands behin' yer head."

He did as she said. He didn't know what else to do, didn't know if she'd have the guts, now, to kill him.

She laughed. "This maight be fun. Ah never killed anyone before. And you? You got me goin' now. Yeh'd be a raight maighty candidate for mah first tahme." She wasn't smiling. Her eyes were still wide, but the color was back to her face. She looked at him sideways.

He shook his head. "Please-"

"Give me one good reason why Ah shouldn't blow yer brains out raight now!"

"I- I promise, I won't hurt yew again. I- I'll make it up to yew, I swear! Please, just don't kill me!" His heart was in his throat.

"Yeh promise?"

"Yes! I promise! I swear, I'll make it up to yew somehow. Please!"

She lowered the gun, pointing it at the ground. "Okay." She let her arm swing, gun loose at her side. Her hands were shaking with adrenaline. She walked to the door, arms slinging loosely. She went out the door, closing it quietly.

He let out a sigh, not quite believing the ordeal was over. He was right.

She pulled open the door with force. She stepped in again, but stopped in front of the threshold. The breeze from the open door gently moved a few strands of her hair.

He held his breath.

"You know what?!" She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. Her accent was gone; her anger had disappeared.

"I-"

"How can- How can I _live_ like this?! How can I go on after- after what you _did _to me?!"

"I-"

"_No!_ No, I can't- I can't-" She held her head in her hands, still holding the gun. _"I can't do this anymore!"_

He stared in shock.

"I can't- I can't- I can't…" She slowly walked a few steps forward.

"Oh please _no-_"

She looked at him, tears streaming. She had a grimace on her face.

"Please-"

She put the gun to her temple, sobbing. Her hand was shaking.

"_Oh no_, don't, don't don't don't-"

"What am I supposed to do?! I can _never_ forget about what you did to me!"

He slowly stood up, hands in front of him. "Yew don't need to do this. Yew can get through this. You'll get past this. Please, just don't pull that trigger."

She wasn't expecting that. She hadn't expected that at all. She stood, sobbing, watching him.

"Come on. Just put the gun down. I won't hurt yew. I swear. I mean it this time. I didn't… I didn't think…"

She looked him up and down. She was surprised by the expression on his face. It was still scared, but she thought she could see a little remorse. She heard compassion in his voice. _But he still doesn't understand, _she thought. _I have to show him. I have to._ She sniffled.

"That's it, just put down the gun. It'll all be okay, I swear."

"_No it won't!" _She almost shrieked the words. She sobbed again.

"I swear-" he took a step forward.

_"Don't come any closer!" _ she sobbed again, grimacing.

"Okay, okay. Just don't-" He stepped back. "Just don't pull that trigger." He shook his head as he said it.

She took a deep breath, then another. The grimace faded.

"That's it. Just keep breathing."

She took a few more deep breaths and her breathing normalized. She stopped crying. She lowered the gun to her side again and wiped her eyes and nose.

"Good, good. Stay right there. I won't hurt yew." He slowly took a step forward, then another.

She stared off at nothing, eyes shifting back and forth. When she saw that Murdoc was half-way to her, she said, "Stop."

He stopped, hands still in front of him.

She put the gun back to her temple, face serene.

"No no no no, don't do that. Just put the gun down."

She put her finger on the trigger.

"No no no, don't do that, don't-"

She stared off again. She was going to pull the trigger.

"No, don't-" he reached forward, but stopped when her eyes flicked back to him.

She stared him dead in the eye, shaking her head. She pulled the trigger.

There was a_ Click._

"_I got you~__" _she said in a playful, almost child-like voice.


	8. Chapter 8: Empty Bullet

_[AN: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I also hope you're at least a little bit confused. Find out the answers to your questions in this chapter (or ask in the review section). Also, there was supposed to be a __ musical note after the tilde in the previous chapter but this website doesn't display it. _

Noble laughed. It was a small laugh. The entire ordeal had been emotionally and mentally taxing for her and she wasn't sure how Murdoc would react— would he be violent? Kick her out? She didn't know, but she was relieved for it to be over.

Murdoc stared, mouth hanging open. He wasn't quite sure what had happened. There had been a _click_ where there should have been a _bang_. Noble was standing, smiling weakly. She should be on the ground with a hole in her head.

Noble put the gun in her pocket. "My gun is empty. It has been the whole time. I just wanted you to cooperate. Now, do you understand what you did?" She didn't wait for an answer. Her expression turned sad. "Next time, the gun will be loaded. And it won't be pointed at you." She walked out the open door and shut it behind her.

Outside, she fought the urge to puke. She was shaking. She knew from experience that the best way to fake extreme emotion is to make the emotions real. She didn't have to force the anger— that had come on its own; she just enhanced it. The last part was planned. She wanted to make sure he knew how she felt. She didn't have to push it too hard– that's how she actually felt. She was truly considering suicide. She didn't know how to interpret his reaction.

She managed to make her way to the restroom before vomiting into one of the toilets. She rinsed her mouth with some water at a sink, then made her way back to Noodle's room. She got into her makeshift bed and fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Slow Morning

_[AN: As of 25/2/2015, I have updated the previous eight chapters. If there's anything I can do to make a character less OOC, please tell me! This series is going to be under edit for a long time, so please, make suggestions! I might not use all of them, but they still help! This chapter was a little difficult to find a topic for, so it's a little boring at first the entire chapter. As of this moment, I'm working on 4 different chapters at once. I won't even try to write Noodle's accent into the dialogue because I'd mangle it horribly. I don't know Noddle's personality much, so any help would be great. I'm not going to study the canon layout of Kong Studios, so pretend I know the layout. Also, can I get input as to what you think Noble looks like? Hair, face, skin tone, ethnicity, etc. She's 157 cm and 60 kg (5'2" and 132 lbs) and has a bit of acne. All previous warnings apply.][PS: Shoutout to RainyZ and HorrorFan13 for being my first reviewers! Thank you so much! Every bit helps!][PPS: I've set up a tumblr! Shoot me questions and submissions at queerpressiontheauthor on tumblr.]_

Noble woke up. It was still early, and at first she wasn't sure why she had awoken. Then she tried to move and realized. The scratches down her sides were scabbed over and cracked when she moved. She didn't have to look to know.

She tried sitting up slowly. She winced as she did so. She stood up, trying not to move her torso too much. She picked out an outfit to wear— black tee and cargo pants, both from the men's section. She cleaned her wounds gently, but couldn't do much due to the pain and gave up after a bit. The cracks in the scabs oozed lymph, but no blood. She at least changed the bandage on her neck. She washed her face and didn't bother trying to put on makeup. She brushed her teeth and did her hair so that it obscured the bandage on her neck, her bangs over her bum eye.

It was still early in the morning. The clock in the kitchen said 6:04 AM. She made herself a cup of tea and sat at the table, wondering what she was going to do with herself. She wasn't tired anymore— she'd gotten her second wind. The tea was comforting.

She was pondering what she might be able to have for breakfast when she heard the door open from the entrance. She turned in her seat to watch the kitchen door, heartrate picking up. She knew who it was.

Murdoc walked into the kitchen, shirtless. He glanced at Noble, then went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice and took a swig. He sat at the table across from her, just eying her, not saying anything.

She sipped her tea, holding his gaze. It was hard to do.

After a couple minutes, he broke the silence. "How'd yew do that?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play coy, yew know what I mean!" He leaned back, rubbing his face. "The whole _act_ yew put on! Yew were so _calm!_ But then… _Urgh!" _ He held his head in his hands, elbows on the table. "I nearly shat myself!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Last night!" He rubbed his temples.

"What happened last night? I was asleep." She set down the tea.

"Yew were in my room. I remember it."

"Maybe it was just a bad dream. I hear chamomile is good for that." She set her head on one hand, arm propped up on the table by the elbow.

"Stop trying to gaslight me and fess up!" He slammed one hand flat on the table.

She leaned back a bit, startled. She noted the term 'gaslight.' She kept up the act, tilting her head to the side and frowning quizzically, saying, "About _what?_ I have no idea what you're talking about."

He grabbed her free arm by the wrist and gave her an intense look.

She froze.

He glared at her for a minute, then let go of her arm.

She caved in. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because— I don't know! I just…" he looked at the table, still holding his head.

"You don't care." She said it in a quiet voice, holding her elbows and looking away.

He looked up at her. "Says who?"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, then sighed. "I detached. I… I detached." She didn't know how to explain it to him. "It was hard. The moment you said something about it, I snapped back. And it made me angry that you'd noticed." She picked up her tea again. "That's all you'll get out of me." She sipped her tea, not looking at him. "Do y'all have eggs?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

She got up and found a pan and opened the fridge to look for the eggs, but shrieked at what she saw.

Murdoc let out a short laugh.

She stared at the organs for a while, the shook her head to refocus. She found the eggs and went to the stove. She melted a bit of butter in the pan and cracked two eggs in a bowl and mixed them with a fork. She paused. "Do you want some?" She was painfully aware of his presence in the room; she fought hard to keep her cool.

"Sure, as long as yew don't poison me."

She chuckled and cracked two more eggs into the bowl and stirred more. She poured them in the pan and scrambled them.

Murdoc watched her cook. Neither said anything.

She divvied up the eggs onto two plates and placed one in front of him. She grabbed ketchup and put a bit on her plate, then placed the bottle on the table. They ate in silence for a while.

"Uh… the eggs are good," Murdoc said in an attempt at conversation.

She shrugged. "I'm not used to real eggs. I usually only have powdered on hand."

They sat in silence, eating their eggs. They heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Russell looked at Murdoc. "Murdoc, you're up— whoa!" He just then noticed Noble. "Everything alright in here?"

"Yeah." She swallowed the bite of egg she'd been chewing. "Do you want eggs? I can make more."

He looked between the two. "Nah, I'm good." He made himself a bowl of cereal. He sat beside Noble.

Noble felt safer now that she wasn't alone with Murdoc. She looked at him from across the table. "You look exhausted."

"I didn't sleep at all last night, thank yew very much."

She laughed, just a breath through her nose.

"What?" Russell looked between them again.

"I gave him a piece of my mind." She sipped the last of her tea. "I think he got the message." She grinned at Murdoc.

"Yes, I did, so please, _don't_ do that again." He rubbed his face.

"Do what?" Russell was oblivious.

"Doesn't matter. All that's important is that he gets the picture." Noble got up and made herself another cup of tea.

Murdoc sighed in exasperation. He watched Noble as she sat back down. "Say… when'd yew get that outfit?"

"Yesterday." She blew on her tea.

"Yesterday." He cocked an eyebrow. It was a question posed as a statement.

"2D and I took her shopping," Russell supplied.

"Ah. I see."

2D came through the door.

"Speak of the devil." Noble sipped her tea.

Murdoc rolled his eyes.

"Uh…" 2D rubbed his eyes. "G'mornin'?"

"Morning." Noble sipped her tea again. Her heart was still pounding, but at least it was slowing down.

2D made himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the side of the table.

They ate in silence for a while. Noodle came down after a bit.

Noble turned to greet her. "Good morning. Do you want some eggs?"

She was a little caught off-guard by this, but answered, "Sure."

Noble got up and made eggs while Noodle sat down across from 2D. Noble put the plate of eggs in front of Noodle and took a seat where she'd been before.

They in silence for a while, then Noble spoke, looking out the window. "Nice view."

"Yup," Murdoc answered. "Cream of the crop."

"What's a normal day here look like?" Noble said through a mouthful of egg. She swallowed. "Or, rather, what will today look like? I don't want to be a bother."

"Well," Russell said, "we don't really do much these days. Read, watch TV, listen to music, stuff like that."

"Ah." She thought for a moment. "I'll just play on my Zune."

"Zune?" 2D piped up.

"Yeah. It's an MP4 player. Plays music and music videos. It's got a few games on it. I can show you if you'd like."

"That sounds fine. Something to do around here."

"He probably won't be able to figure it out," interjected Murdoc.

"Mudz!" cried 2D. "That's not very nice."

_"I'm_ not very nice," Murdoc retorted.

"It's a pretty simple device," Noble said, ignoring Murdoc's remark. She bit her tongue against making an underhanded comment about just how 'not nice' he was. "If I can figure it out, anyone can."

"Hm." Murdoc put his dish in the sink. "Good luck with him. You'll need it." He walked off to some other part of the house.

Noble got up and washed all the dishes that had accumulated in the sink. "Well, I hope today will be better than the beginning of my week."

"Yeah," Russell replied. "I hope so too."


	10. Chapter 10: Hexic and Brer 'Possum

_[AN: This chapter is dedicated to Susan's face when she got to the end of "(Don't) Pull the Trigger." Have something nice to soothe your worries. Just a bit of calm before the storm– but don't worry, it'll only be a squall.][PS: Teaser time! Murdoc x Noble is not the actual romance ship planned for the story! Have fun guessing what the real ship is!]_

"Okay, the middle button is select." Noble pressed the button to demonstrate. The screen went to song selection. "I navigate up and down through the song list. Side to side shows category, which are 'playlists,' 'songs,' 'genres,' 'artists,' 'videos,' 'pictures,' and 'albums.'" She cycled through the categories. "The back button takes you to the previous selected screen." She backed out to the home screen. "There are some games that were preloaded. They're the only ones I have since the downloadable ones cost money. My favorite is hexic. You wanna try?" She handed it to 2D.

He went through the tutorial and played the game a bit before losing. "Oh. This is pretty cool. 'Ow good are you at it?" He handed it back to her.

"Not very. I've never won any of the modes. Maybe if both of us play?" She played the game while 2D watched over her shoulder, occasionally pointing out the best tile to move. Every now and again they'd let out a cry of "Oh, so close!" as a bomb went off or "Oops, wrong tile," and a bit of laughter.

"What are you two doing?" Noodle walked over to them from the other room, carrying her geep game.

"Playing hexic. You wanna try? You might be able to play better than us." Noble smiled at her and scooted aside on the couch to make room for Noodle.

Noodle sat down between Noble and 2D, taking the zune from Noble when proffered and putting down her geep. She went through the tutorial and tried and failed a few times while the other two watched. She got five star tiles in place before a bomb went off.

The three of them let out a chorus of "No!" and "So close!"

"This game is hard!" Noodle handed the zune back to Noble.

"Yeah," replied Noble. "I've never gotten very far with any of the games."

"Whot else do you 'ave on there?" 2D look at her.

"Well, it came with a bunch of music and stuff on it, but I put other music on there, along with some of my videos."

"Whot videos?"

"I have some videos of drag events I did back in America."

"You did drag?" Noodle looked at Noble.

"Yeah, it was a lotta fun." Noble pulled up one of the videos and played it.

It had been taken from the a mounted camera set up to record the shows and showed Noble up on stage. She was incredibly thin, almost skeletal. She wore a vest and trousers that were a little too big on her. She had a pair of narrow, dark purple glasses. Her hair was in cornrows, coming together in a ponytail that ended at her waist, varied with chunky highlights, hanging in thin braids.

"You won't be able to hear anything without earphones," Noble said, "and it only has one jack. Sorry."

"You look a lot different," Noodle pointed out.

"Yeah." Noble smiled. "I was 13 in this video."

"What? No way!" Noodle laughed.

"Yeah, this was back in February of two-thousand one."

"You look older than that!"

"Yeah, I'm good at makeup. You couldn't even tell I was wearing any back then unless you knew I was." Noble laughed. "It comes in handy sometimes to know makeup." She thought of her eye.

"How old are you now?" Noodle was intrigued.

"I'm 18 now."

"Oh. I'm 16, so you're only two years older than me! Wow!"

2D asked, "Whot are you saying in the video?"

"Oh, I'm telling a story."

"Whot's the story?"

"Lemme see if I can remember all of it." Noble thought for a minute, then continued. "The story is called 'Brer 'Possum's Dilemma.' It's about Brer Opossum and Brer Snake."

"What's 'brer'?" Noodle asked. "Is that a name?"

"Kinda. It means 'brother' and is sorta like a title."

"'Ow does the story go?"

Murdoc walked into the room, sipping a beer. He leaned against the wall opposing them. "What are yew going on about now?"

Noble tensed up, but hid it. Her heartrate picked up. "I'm about to tell a story."

2D looked between Noble and Murdoc, not saying anything. He felt uncomfortable, twiddling his fingers.

Noble sat back, turning off the zune. "Do you want me to tell you the story with the accent or how I usually talk?"

"Try it with the accent, that'd be interesting." Murdoc sipped his beer again, blasé.

Noble settled into her story-telling mode. "Okay. Let's see…

"_Back in the days when the animals could talk, there was ol' Brer Possum." _

2D and Noodle laughed. Her accent was somewhat country and some of something else, but they couldn't tell what.

Noble continued:

"_He was a fine fella; why, he never liked to see any critter in harm nor trouble. He was always a-helpin' out, a-doin' som'n for others."_

"_Ev'ry night, ol' Brer 'Possum climbed into a persimmon tree an' hung by his tail to sleep all night. An' ev'ry mornin', he'd climb down an' walk down the path to sun himself._

_ "Well, on this particular mornin' where ar story takes place, Brer 'Possum was a-walkin' down the path when he came across a hole in the dirt beside a bush. Now, y'see, Brer 'Possum was a kind an' gentle fella, but he was also rather nosy, so he walked over to this hole that he had come across an' took a peek. An' do you know what he saw in this particular hole?"_

2D and Noodle shook their heads. They were mesmerized like children.

Noble laughed, then continued animatedly:

"_Down in that hole, he saw Brer Snake, trapped under a brick layin' on his back._

"_Brer 'Possum took a step back, and said to himself, ''I best git on outta here, 'cause ol' Brer Snake is mean an' evil an' lowdown, an' if I git to stayin' around him, he jist might git to bitin' me!''_

"_So Brer 'Possum went on down the road._

"_But Brer Snake had seen Brer 'Possum, so he started a-callin' for him._

"''_Help me, Brer 'Possum!'' he cried._

"_Brer 'Possum stopped an' turned around. He said to himself, ''Oh my, that's ol' Brer Snake a-callin' for me. I reckon what he wants?''_

"_Well, ol' Brer 'Possum, bein' such a kind gent, went on back to the hole and peered down to look at Brer Snake. He said, ''Was that you a-callin' me? What do you want?''_

"_Brer Snake looked up an' said, ''Oh, Brer 'Possum, I've got such a dilemma. You see this brick a-layin' on my back? I've been stuck down in this hole for a mighty long time. Won't you be so kind as to get it offa my back?''_

"_Brer 'Possum thought, then said, ''Now, you listen here, Brer Snake. I knows you! You's mean an' evil an' low-down! If I were to git down in the hole with you an' take that brick off your back, you'd do nothin' but git to bitin' me!''_

"_Brer snake hissed, sayin', _

Noble looked at 2D—

"''_Maybe not—_

Noble looked at Noodle—

"_Maybe not—. _

Noble looked at Murdoc—

"_Maaaaaaaybe not!''"_

She held Murdoc's gaze for a moment, heart pounding as she fought off her panic.

Noodle and 2D laughed at how comically she said it.

She continued:

_"So Brer 'Possum thought. He though high and he thought low, and jist as he was thinkin' that he'd find no solution, he looked up into a tree an' saw a dead tree limb a-hangin' down from above. He climbed into the tree an' took down the branch, an' with that ol' branch, he pushed the brick offa Brer Snakes back. The he took off down the path._

_ "Brer 'Possum thought he was away from ol' Brer Snake when he heard som'n._

_ "''Brer 'Possum, help me!''_

_ "An' Brer 'Possum said, ''Oh no. That's him again.''"_

Noodle and 2D laughed, then Noble laughed as well. She continued.

"_But Bein' so kindhearted, Brer 'Possum headed on back to see what the trouble was. He said, ''Brer Snake, was that you a-callin' me? What do you want now?''_

"_Brer Snake looked up and hissed, ''Oh, Brer 'Possum, I've been down here such a mighty long time, an' I've gotten a li'l bit weak, you see, an' the walls of this hole here are mighty slick. Won't you please be so kind to come on down here and lift me out?''_

"_Brer 'Possum thought, then said, ''Now, you wait just a minute here. If I were to git down in that hole with you to lift you outta that hole, you'd do nothin' but get to biting me!''_

"_Brer Snake hissed, sayin', _

Noble looked at 2D—

"''_Maybe not—_

Noble looked at Noodle—

"_Maybe not—. _

Noble looked at Murdoc—

"_Maaaaaaaybe not!''"_

Again, she held his gaze for a pause while the two laughed, then continued.

"_Brer Possum said, "I jist don't know. You're a-gon' to have to give me time to think about this.'' So ol' Brer Possum thought. An' as he thought, he jist happened to look down there in that hole an' see that ol' dead limb. So he pushed the limb underneath Brer Snake an' lifted him outa the hole an' all up in the air, and throwed him into the high grass, then Brer' Possum took off runnin' down the path._

"_Well, ol' Brer 'Possum thought he was away from ol' Brer Snake when he heard som'n._

"''_Help me, Brer 'Possum!''_

"_Brer 'Possum thought, ''Ohhhhh noooo. That's him _again!_''"_

That made them laugh again.

Murdoc smiled. He could tell the two were really enjoying Noble's company.

Russel walked into the room. "What are you all laughing at?"

"Noble's telling a story!" Noodle hade a big grin on her face.

"What story?" Russel looked at Noble.

"Brer 'Possum's Dilemma."

"Is that one of the Uncle Remus stories?"

"Yup. They seem to like it."

"I haven't heard any of those stories since fifth grade."

"Black History Month?"

"Yeah, the only time education pays attention to us." He shook his head in distain.

"What's the rest of the story?" Noodle was eating it all up.

Noble continued:

"_But again, Brer 'Possum went back, him bein' such a kindhearted gent, an' looked for Brer Snake._

"_Brer Snake crawled outta the grass as slooow as he could, stretched himself out on the path, rared up, an' looked at ol' Brer 'Possum. Then he hissed, ''I was down there in that hole for so long, an' you well know that the sun don't reach down in holes that deep an' dark, so's I got mighty chilly. Do you think you might be so kind as to put me in your pocket to keep me warm an' take me with you to git some sun?''_

"_Brer 'Possum said, ''Now you listen here, Brer Snake. I knows you. You's mean an' evil an' lowdown, an' if I were to put you in my pocket, you'd do nothin' but git to biting me!''_

"_Again, Brer Snake hissed, sayin'—_

Noble looked at 2D—

"''_Maybe not—_

Noble looked at Noodle—

"_Maybe not—. _

Noble looked at Murdoc—

"_Maaaaaaaybe not!''"_

2D and Noodle laughed again. Murdoc chuckled.

This time, Noble didn't look away as quickly as before.

Murdoc's smile faded a little. He could tell for sure now that Noble was faking her calm, that her smile was fake, but he didn't say anything.

Noble looked away again, then continued:

"_Brer 'Possum said, ''No, sirree! I knows you. I am most certainly _not_ going to put you in my pocket! I jist ain't a-going to do it.''_

"_But as he spoke, he got a good look at Brer Snake, layin' there a-lookin' so pitiful, an' Brer 'Possum's big ol' heart got to feelin' bad for ol' Brer Snake. ''All right,'' said Brer 'Possum. ''You sure must be cold. So jist this once, I'm gon' put you in my pocket. Jist this once.''_

"_So ol' Brer Snake coiled up as best he could, an' Brer 'Possum picked him up an' put him in his pocket._

"_Brer Snake laid quiet and still– so quiet an' still, in fact, that Brer 'Possum even forgot he was carrying him around there in his pocket. But all of a sudden, Brer Snake crawled on outta Brer 'Possum's pocket, an' he turned an' faced Brer 'Possum and hissed._

"''_I'm a-gon' bite you!''_

"_But Brer 'Possum said, ''Now wait jist one minute, Brer Snake. Why are you a-gon' bite me? I done took that brick offa your back, I got you outta that hole, an' I put you in my pocket to keep you warm. Why are you a-gon' bite me after all that?''_

"_Brer Snake hissed:"_

—Noble looked Murdoc dead in the eye.

_"''You knowed I was a snake before you put me in your pocket.''"_

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"_Now you know, when you're mindin' your own busyness an' you spot trouble, don't _never_ trouble trouble 'til trouble troubles you."_

Noble sat back again. "And that's the story."

Murdoc left.

Noble could breathe a little easier now.

"That was great!" 2D said. "Where'd you learn that?"

"My best friend growing up was Gullah. I was homeschooled, but her mother would tell the stories to us all the time, as many times as we wanted. The school would ask her to come in every February to tell stories at the elementary school. But we learned them by heart."

"What's Gullah?" Noodle asked.

"It's a creole culture that formed when African slaves were imported into America, a mix of West African and American South. Some people call it 'Geechee,' others say 'Gullah.' Both mean the same. They're mostly on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, but my friend's grandparents moved to NC trying to find better jobs."

"Yeah?" Russel asked. "How'd that go for them?"

"Surprisingly well. They worked at my granddaddy's restaurant before it was turned into a bakery."

"A bakery?" Russel laughed. "Sounds like my kind of deal. I love to bake."

"Yeah?" Noble smiled. "I can kinda bake, but my brother can for sure. He works in a restaurant now."

"Where at?"

"Somewhere in London. I can't remember where," she lied. She changed the subject. "Hey, are you any good at video games? We can't beat this one."

"Lemme see. I might." He sat down on the couch beside 2D.

They spent the rest of the day playing games and talking about food.


	11. Chapter 11: 'It Still Hurts'

_[AN: Here comes the squall. All previous warnings apply.] [PS: Check out my tumblr for extra tidbits! I do post spoilers, so blacklist the "spoilers" tag.]_

It had been a nice day, just playing games and talking. When the evening rolled by, she went downstairs to shower.

She had trouble cleaning herself. Her wounds hurt, and she felt disgusted by her body. She didn't want to look at herself, didn't want to touch her body; it reminded her of what Murdoc had done to her. She fought through it, singing quietly to distract herself, and finished showering.

_"Sell the kids for food_

_Weather changes moods_

_Spring is here again_

_Reproductive glands…"_

She dried off and put on her pajamas. She dried her hair the best she could, then braided it over her shoulder. She thought better of it and untied it, deciding to let it dry first, slipping the hair tie onto her wrist. She put her stuff back into her bag and left the shower, quietly closing the door. It was late; she didn't want to make too much noise.

Before she could turn around, Murdoc grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. He kissed her, hands on her shoulders, then started trailing kisses along her jawline.

Noble panicked, frozen. She tasted alcohol on his breath. "Stop! No…" She gasped a bit as his lips travelled down her neck, grazing the bruised bitemark. She thought about yelling for help; 2D's room was just across the corridor.

He slid one hand up her shirt and then stopped when he felt the scabbing on her side. He paused for a moment, then asked, "I did that, didn't I?"

"Yes, sir." Her voice quivered. She was too ashamed to call for help.

"Oh." He leaned one shoulder against the wall. "Sorry."

She was quiet. She held her breath, trying not to cry.

"How about yew just come with me for the night, eh?" His hands dropped to her elbows.

She didn't answer. She let out the breath she had been holding, then took another, holding it again.

He guided Noble up the stairs and outside with one arm around her shoulders, leaving her bag outside the entrance to the shower.

Noble pushed his arm away once they were outside, walking ahead and jerking open the door to the Winne. She sat down on the bed and crossed her arms, looking at the floor and saying nothing. She noted the open bottle of vodka on his night stand.

He followed her inside, closing the door and sitting beside her on the bed. He pulled her so that she was facing him, then started kissing her again, cupping her face in one hand and tangled the other in her hair.

She pushed him away. "Stop!"

"Come, now, pet, don't be like that. Let's just have a little fun." He placed his hands at her waist and went back to kissing her neck, avoiding the bite wound.

She started crying. "You promised!"

He murmured into her ear. "I won't hurt yew this time, I swear."

She let out another sob but didn't reply, covering her face with her hands.

He pulled off his trousers, then started unbuttoning Noble's pajama shirt.

She didn't bother resisting. She let him take off her shirt, then sat sniffling while he unhooked her bra and took it off as well.

He ran his fingertips across her skin, feeling the rough texture of the scabs that had formed from the scratches he had left. "I really did a number on yew, didn't I?"

"Yes, sir." She didn't look at him.

He kissed her face as he cupped her breasts in his hands. He ran his thumbs over her nipples. One hand traveled down her side and started tugging at the hem of her pajama bottoms.

"No. Stop!" Noble pushed his hand away.

"I promise I won't hurt yew, I swear."

"Yes you will!" She sobbed again.

"I won't, I swear." He started pulling at her trousers again.

"It still hurts!" She grabbed his arm.

He paused and looked her in the eye.

Her expression was pleading. "It still hurts, Murdoc." Tears were running down her face. She added in a weak voice, "I'm still bleeding."

"Fine." He leaned back. "Just… spend the night with me." He laid on his bed, hands behind his head.

"What?" She wiped her nose on the back of her hand.

"Just stay with me for the night. It'll be fine."

"Why?" She was still panicked and afraid.

"I need company." He ran a hand down his face. He seemed tense; his jaw was clenched. After a moment, he added, "You'll be fine. I won't hurt yew."

She said bitterly with a raspy voice, "That's hard to believe when you still have my blood under your nails."

He sighed, not answering.

She sat on the edge of the bed for a while, staring at the floor sniffling and wondering what he planned to do to her.

After a while of silence, he asked her, "Do yew like poetry?"

"Yeah." She still didn't look at him.

"Ever read 'The Raven' by Poe?"

She shook her head. "No."

"I thought they taught that in school."

"They teach it in eleventh grade. I got my GED in ninth."

"Oh. Well then, would you like to read it? I have a copy here." He pulled a book off his nightstand and opened it to a dog-eared page.

"I don't read very well."

"I'll read it to yew." He cleared his throat.

_"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,_

_Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—_

_ While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,_

_As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door._

_"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door—_

_ Only this and nothing more.""_

Noble took advantage of the pause between stanzas and interrupted him before he could continue. "Reading me poetry isn't going to fix your mistakes." She picked her clothing off the floor and dressed herself, then left.

Murdoc watched her leave, not saying a word. He knew she was right. He put down his book and picked up his vodka, taking a swig in the hopes that the voices might be a little quieter.


	12. Chapter 12: Banjo?

_[AN: I posted a map of the layout that I use in this story of the Kong Studios, since it's different from the canon layout. __My tumblr address /ANHKongLayout ] [PS: Guess who removed most of the ANs? Me, that's who.] [PPS: I'm writing a chapter 2.5 about the conversation between Murdoc and Russel. It'll be on my tumblr, so check that out too! Again, my tumblr is QueerceptionTheAuthor.] [PPS: I retconned some info, so feel free to re-read the chapters! And please leave reviews. I need feedback! Correct my grammar, spelling, anything. Tell me if I get something wrong. Tell me what you like, what you dislike, anything. Please, show me what you think!]_

2D woke up. He rolled over to look at the clock. 2:03 AM. He had to piss.

He got out of his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and headed to the bathroom. He saw Noble's bag just outside the door to the shower. Why had she left it there? She seemed like a tidier person than that, and it was a strange place to leave it either way. He used the bathroom and went back to his room.

He got into his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. He was on the edge of slipping back into sleep when he heard a noise; it sounded like dining plates knocking against one another. Someone or something was in the kitchen.

He got out of bed with a start. His clock read 2:11 AM. He left his room, quietly slipping up the stairs, then down the hall to the kitchen. He peered around the doorway into the dark room.

Noble was standing in the kitchen. She was looking out the glass door leading to the patio, staring out into the vast landfill. She opened the door and walked outside, leaving the door open.

2D walked through the kitchen to watch her. Was she sleep-walking? He wasn't sure. He paused at the threshold, one hand on the edge of the glass door.

Noble had her arms around herself as she looked out over the railing. 2D watched as Noble pulled her hair to one side and wrapped several strands from the nape of her neck around her finger, then pulled the hair out. She held it out in front of her and let it go, watching it drift in the wind and fall into the landfill. She did this a few more times before she stopped.

"Noble?"

She spun around, eyes wide, tears staining her cheeks.

"Noble? Whot is it? Whot's wrong?"

She covered her face with her hands and turned back around without saying anything.

2D hesitated. He didn't know what to do. He walked over to Noble and stood at her side, crossing his arms for warmth. He waited there for a while, listening to Noble cry, then asked, "Noble, whot 'appened?"

Noble put her hands on the railing, but didn't say anything, just sniffled some more. She couldn't look at him.

"Is it about Murdoc?"

She nodded after a moment of silence.

He didn't know what to say next. He felt uncomfortable; what Murdoc had done was bad enough, and now 2D was left trying to comfort a woman he barely knew.

After a moment she said weakly in a raspy voice, "He tried… He tried again but he… didn't…." She trailed off and hung her head.

"Oh." He shifted uneasily. "When… when was that?"

"A couple hours ago." She sniffled again.

What should he do? He didn't know. What would he want someone else to do if they were in his place? What would help him? _Think, think, think, think_. He twiddled his thumbs for a bit, looking out into the landfill, then tentatively asked, "Do you... Do you play any instruments?"

She nodded. "I play drums... a bunch of different kinds of drums."

"I never figured you for a drummer," he said with a smile.

She laughed through her nose. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Do you play anything else?"

"Uh, this is going to sound silly, but I play banjo." She smiled sheepishly. "It started as a joke and then stuck."

He grinned. "I have a banjo. It's upstairs in the instruments room."

She looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "Do you want to play it some?"

"Right now?" She looked hopeful.

"Yeah. I mean, if you want."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

He led her upstairs and into a room strewn with various instruments. He picked up his banjo from where it was slumped against a chair and handed it to her.

Noble looked around in wonder. "Y'all have a lot of instruments."

He grinned, mostly to himself.

"What's so funny?"

"You say ''y'all.'' It's- It's cute."

"Oh." She shrugged, smiling. "Most people I meet tell me it makes me sound stupid. Well, stupid_er._"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I think it's kinda cute. So, that counts for something, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She looked at the banjo in her hands. "I don't want to wake anybody up."

"Well, we can sit in the recording studio. Or we could go up to the roof."

"The roof? Yeah, let's do that. I like being outside."

They quietly headed up the stairs together.

"Hold on, let me catch my breath." Noble leaned against the wall of the stairway and panted for a couple moments. "I really need to get in shape."

2D waited for her until she caught her breath, then they sat down on the middle of the concrete roof.

Noble plucked the strings experimentally. "It's out of tune. Do you have a tuner?"

"No, but I can hum the notes."

She plucked the strings and fiddled with the tuning pegs while he hummed the notes for her.

She smiled weakly. "Huh, you really can sing."

"Well, I 'ope so." He smiled back. "I'm in a band, after all!"

"Yeah, that makes sense." She gave him a sleepy smile.

"So…" What should he say? "Uh, whot- whot songs do you know?"

She played _The End_ by the Beatles, clapping and tapping out the drum solo while he grinned.

"I wasn't expecting that!"

She laughed. "Nobody does. That's the joke!" She started strumming chords aimlessly as she spoke. "I started learning when I was fifteen, around two months after I moved here from across the Pond. My friend Freddie and I would play music on the corner of Main and The Avenue for tips. Marissa would play violin with us sometimes, back when me and she dated. It was a lot of fun. Sometimes we'd catch a ride to London and play there." She sighed. "I miss him."

"Is that the person that owes you money?"

"No, that's Freddy with a Y. He owes me, hmm… maybe five hunnerd? Yeah, something like that. Enough to cover the gun, plus more. Freddie with a I-E is the musician." She looked up at the stars and moon that peeked out from behind the clouds. "Well, he owes me money, too, but I think I might move in with him again, so he'd pay it off through rent."

"Why do they owe you money?"

She looked at him for a moment, sizing him up, wondering how much she could tell him, then looked down at the banjo. "Drugs."

"Oh." He felt awkward. "That's- That's a lot of money." He started tapping his fingers together.

She started strumming parts of _Black Hole Sun_ by Soungarden while she talked, fumbling some of the chords. "Yeah, that was from back when I sold harder stuff. I let Freddy Y buy on credit for a while. He kept saying he'd pay me next time, and I was a little afraid of him at the time, so I'd give him the drugs, even though he didn't pay. Now I have more backbone and I'm making sure he pays me." She started playing a bluegrass song he didn't recognize. "I stopped selling for a while, then started back up again, but just weed. I'd seen too much bad stuff come about from what I'd used to sell. I stopped again last month. For good."

"Oh. That sounds- That sounds a little dangerous, y'know? Selling drugs."

"Yup." She switched the song to _Smells Like Teen Spirit _by Nirvana_._ "That's why I stopped. As soon as I turned eighteen. I want to get a real job, live a good life, and get home to America as soon as I can. But I don't think it'll happen too soon. Too many strings holding me back."

He took the opportunity to steer the topic away from criminal activities. "So, whot kind of job are you looking for?"

"I could be a nanny, or do daycare, if I got certified. I'm really good with children. I love kids. But I need to find my papers first. I lost everything, you know? All my stuff. I'm so happy that I found my gun. It was a present from a friend. He's dead now, so I'm happy I still have something from him." She sighed. "I could be a cashier— I'm good with money. But that's not much of a paycheck. But I could scrape by, if Freddie and his flatmates have jobs, too."

"Yeah, I guess that might work." He scratched his head. "I don't really 'ave to do much these days. We have royalties to keep us going."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good way to live. Carefree." She stopped strumming. "My fingers are starting to hurt. I haven't played in a while." She handed the banjo to him.

He started strumming various chords to warm up. "I like to play banjo in my room sometimes. It 'elps me calm down when I'm out of sorts."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I sing to myself when nobody's listening. I'm not very good at it, and it hurts to sing out loud, so I sing quietly." She looked at the sky. It was starting to lighten. "I used to be able to sing— really sing. But then I… I had an accident, and it wrecked my throat."

"Whot 'appened?"

"It's really personal."

"Oh." He didn't know how to respond to that. _Think, think, think._ "Have you ever 'eard any of our music?"

"I don't think so."

He sung for her:

_"Everybody's here with me_

_Got no camera to see_

_Don't think I'm not all in this world_

_The camera won't let me go_

_And the verdict doesn't love our soul_

_The digital won't let me go_

_"Yeah yeah yeah_

_I'll pay_

_When tomorrow_

_Tomorrow comes today_

_"Stereo I want it on_

_It's taken me far too long_

_Don't think I'm not all in this world_

_"I don't think I'll be here too long_

_I don't think I'll be here too long_

_I don't think I'll be here too long_

_"Yeah yeah yeah_

_I'll pay_

_When tomorrow_

_Tomorrow comes today_

_"Da da da da da da da da…"_

"I might've heard that once or twice. On the radio. It's good."

"Yeah, we get played a lot on a couple stations locally. We're getting kinda 'igh on the charts now. A couple big hits so far."

"Wow, that's… that's impressive."

"Yeah, I guess so. It doesn't seem like such a big deal, now that we're 'ere."

"I know what you mean."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I didn't always be homeless." She looked at the sky. "I used to be on top of the world. I had enough money to live how I wanted between my job and the dealing, and if I didn't have something, someone else did. I was so spoilt. And it didn't seem like a big deal. I always had been pampered. Then I tried to live without black money. I cut off all my ties for a while, but I couldn't make it by on my own. So I went back to dealing. And even then, it wasn't as much money as before, because my sources were afraid I'd quit again. I had to make ends meet, and I got a lot of help from some of my customers, especially when I got fired from my actual job. I did favors for them sometimes— pay off a bill, lie to their boss for them, piss in a cup so they could pass a drug test, stuff like that. Eventually, I became friends with some of them. Heck, even from the beginning, I made friends with a few. Freddie— I called him ''Mr. Mercury,'' because he was a musician and all that, right? He was one of the first friends I made over here. When he first saw me he started laughing. He said, ''I asked my friend if she knew any good dealers around, and she told me to find Noble. I wasn't expecting a twiggy little American girl with braces!''" She smiled. "We hit it off pretty good, and he introduced me to his boyfriend, Dalton, who was the brother of the customer who'd told him about me. Marissa. I thought she was really pretty, and she took a liking to me, too. We dated for a while. Then I... Dalton, he..." She paused for a moment and swallowed hard. "Dalton died. We split up. I saw her one time after that, but that's it. Haven't heard from her since."

Was she upset? 2D couldn't tell. What was she thinking? He didn't know. _Of course not. Too stupid. Think, think._ "Uh, well, why did you- why did you move 'ere? From America, I mean." He tapped his fingers together, one at a time.

She took a deep breath, then sighed. "I have a friend here. It's complicated. And my brother's here. The one who works in a restaurant."

"Oh. What's 'e like?"

She pursed her lips and looked down for a second, then back up to the sky. "It's a touchy subject."

"Oh. Uh, sorry."

She shrugged.

What should he say? _Think!_ He honestly had no clue what he should say. So he started to play a song for her.

She gave him a funny look with a half-smirk, one eyebrow raised, when she heard the first discordant notes. He'd piqued her interest.

He smiled at and kept playing.

_"O green world, don't desert me now_

_Bring me back to fallen town_

_Where someone is still alive_

_"Fighting for something new in this_

_When no one needs the heart of me and I'll_

_Get out somewhere other than me before_

_"Than me before_

_"O green world, don't deserve me now_

_I'm made of you and you of me_

_But where are we? Oh no_

_"Sells to lie from the darkest stars_

_Suppose you down when you're in fast_

_'Cause it seems so little to you_

_"But now you're in love, you know_

_You know, me too, you know, me too—"_

_I hope sex and drugs rust into my self_

_Holy, it feels holy_

_"It feels like you're with your father_

_In the place you love._"

She was smiling.

Neither of them said anything. They didn't have to. But at least they were both smiling now.

The sun peeked over the horizon of filth and rubbish.

Noble's eyes lit up as she saw the clouds turn to fire and sherbet.

2D watched her as she looked at the sky. He felt happy.

It was such a simple thing, marveling at the same pretty colors that show up every day when no one's watching. That's the thing: no one sees it often enough. If they did, it might become boring. At least, for most people it would. But for some people, they could watch the sunrise every day of their life, but still be breathtaken by it. For some people, in fact, it might be one of the only few things that could take their breath away. Maybe, even, someone—

Like her.

Like this woman he barely knew, this woman who had practically spilt her guts for him. She barely knew him, either, and she had gone out on a whim and told him something that must have been one of her darkest secrets. Or maybe it was the palest. Who knew? He certainly didn't. But regardless, now he knew a little bit more about her.

Maybe the thoughts he was having meant nothing, and maybe they weren't true and he was reading her wrong. Maybe her eyes lit up like that all the time. Maybe this was just a one-off thing and she didn't even like sunrises that much. Was this one different from the rest, or were all sunrises the same? And was that for everyone, or for just him? Or for just her?

He had a billion questions more, just begging to be asked. He wanted to know more about her, but he didn't know how to ask. He probably shouldn't ask at all, should he? That would be rude. He didn't want to turn her away so soon. So he sat there, taking in everything he could about her. Maybe this moment would help him answer those questions that sat, waiting, at the back of his throat, in the pit of his stomach.

So he took in how the light in her eyes fit the scene just right. He took in the bags under her eyes, the small crinkles that would one day be crow's feet.

He took in the color of her eyes— they were different in this light, warmer, like a hug after getting home from a winter storm. He had almost mistaken them for black before, but now he saw they were the color of the peat moss pellets from Noodle's science project when she was in sixth grade. Again, he couldn't tell Noble about that. She probably wouldn't like her eyes to be compared to dirt.

He took in the freckles across her cheeks that tried to pretend not to exist, hiding among the acne scars and under the color of her skin.

He took in how the color of her lips contrasted with the whiteness of her teeth. Her lips reminded him of a Crayola color that came out when he was Noodle's age. It was a dirt scented crayon, so of course he couldn't tell her that.

He took a mental note of the faint scar on the edge of her lip; he hadn't noticed that before. It sparked another question— how did she get it? But he shouldn't ask. Of course not. That'd be rude. It might upset her. He didn't want to upset her.

He watched a strand of hair next to her ear blow in the quieting wind. How could he describe her hair? It wasn't shiny. It wasn't quite black, but somewhere close, like a brown kind of soot. It was a little frizzy right now. He would have thought it would be curlier, like other black people's hair, but he wrote it off to her being mixed. Another thing he couldn't ask about: her ethnicity. Well, maybe he could; she was probably used to questions like that, right? But not right now.

He took in the expression on her face. He'd have to remember it: her happy face. He took the time to understand that. It was hard, sometimes, to tell what emotion matched what expression, so he had to learn each one, if he could. Other people seemed to be able to tell so easily.

He took in—

She turned her eyes to him. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"Oh. Uh, nothing, I just, uh." He scrambled for something to say, looking down at the banjo in his hands. "I'm glad I could cheer you up."

"I'm glad too. Thanks. It's rather kind of you."

"Oh, uh, well, it's- it's nothing. Anything I can do to help."

She looked at the sunset again with the same look of wonder and content as before.

He looked to the sky as well, just watching the clouds shift by.

And he was happy.


	13. Chapter 13: Monday

"_It's just a dream, just a dream, just a dream_

_Nothing but a dream."_

A woman in white— no,

A woman of light

Striding towards the endless abyss—

"_It's just a dream, just a dream, just a dream_

_Nothing but a dream."_

Footsteps striking concrete

Leaving burns, deep burns,

Trailing without turn behind her—

"_This is a dream, this is a dream, just a dream,_

_Merely a dream."_

So few moments away from the edge,

Towards the abyss,

Towards the water's cold embrace—

"'_Tis but a dream, a dream,"_ he assured himself,

"_But what if not?_

_Oh, imagine her peril!"_

The beat of her feet, as if of a drum,

Resounded deep in his mind, through his mind, through his head.

"_Or maybe, is it, maybe, my pulse, the beating of my heart?"_ he said.

"'_Tis a dream, 'tis a dream, just a dream,_

_Merely a dream."_

Her hair, flickering fire,

Would, indeed, expire,

Should she be doused in the water that, in front of her, lay ahead—

"_Only a dream, a dream, a dream!_

_Oh! But what if not? I beg of Satan, may this please be a dream!"_

Dank, slithering, slimy, detestable creatures

Lay ahead, ahead, ahead,

If only one were to plunge into that dark, despicable, endless abyss—

"_Oh no,"_ he said, _"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!"_

He now made haste, not waste,

His feet moved, gained their own pace.

She walked on,

As if unaware,

As if not told of the dangers ahead—

"_Miss! Miss!"_ he cried.

"_Miss, be wary!_

_Miss, please, continue no more!"_

Her strides never faltered,

Her strides, thudding, charring the ground,

Closing the gap of her safety—

"_I beg of you, miss, be wary!_

_For those waters before you,_

_That water is bitter, not sweet!"_

At the brink of that dark, despicable deep,

Toes almost to that chilled, horrid deep,

That murderous, all-consuming deep—

"_Miss!"_ he cried, now but a step behind

This woman of bright light,

White, extinguishable light—

She turned.

He froze where he was.

Color fled from his face.

Sweat ran down his fingers.

There was no _thud, thud, _thudding

No _pound, pound, _pounding_,_

No sound was resounding through his head.

No features adorned her face

But that of a red maw

Dripping of oil.

"_Miss,"_ said he_, "danger lies beyond!_

_Creatures swim in the depth you approach!_

_They may slither out and pull you in!"_

"_How_

_Dare_

_You."_

He started, for her voice was piercing, fierce.

"_Excuse me? I beg your pardon, miss._

_What fault have I that distresses you such?"_

"_How dare you!_

_How dare you, I say!_

_How can you act as if innocent?"_

"_Miss, I implore you, I plead,_

_What fowl misdeed have I begotten,_

_I repeat, what fault have I, that distresses you such?"_

"_You, I say, you, child,_

_Are the third cigarette lit of one match!_

_You are a longtail rodent to be crushed beneath my feet!"_

"_I am no child!"_ He declared with indignation.

"_I am a man, not a boy!_

_Now, what is your grievance?"_

"_You are a child!_

_You have yet to grow!_

_And you show it well, you fool!"_

"_I beg of you, say what you mean, and mean what you say!_

_What have I done that draws such criticism_

_That you believe a grown man might be a child?"_

The ground flickered, land turned to water,

Switched axiom, for but a femto, then turned back to land,

So that his feet were wetted with the bitter water.

"_You see, child? You see?_

_How could a grown man get his feet wet without standing in water?_

_I am dry as cotton, though I stand on the same ground as you!"_

The bitter water began to roil,

Jaws snapping, tails whipping,

Throwing salt-spray at the woman of light—

"_I daresay, how might that be fair?" _he asked.

_A child wets his feet in a puddle, yes,_

_But I, a man, have no coat to lay before yours!"_

She chortled. _"As if that is of any bearing."_

She seemed unaware of the searching beasts behind her,

Which were nigh prepared to drown her—

"_Miss, I beg of you, step away from the edge!"_

His desperation was palpable.

_You are about to be pulled in!"_

The woman tittered as she turned back to the agitated abyss

His desperate protests could not detain her.

The wicked waters calmed as she walked upon them—

He watched in awe as her steps upheld her

And the stirring sea-serpents seemed to gain reason.

Had the water turned to glass?

She faced him again.

"_You have no redemption,_

_Have no decency in life!"_

"_And what of the good I have done?"_

His words turned to shouts.

"_Is that of no worth?"_

"_Good? Do you even know_

_What you have done?_

_What good, pray tell, do you mean?"_

"_I am a father! I took in a child and reared her as my own._

_I have a lover! My lover would die for me, despite my infidelity._

_I am a leader! I am the one pulling the strings to bring joy into the lives of others!"_

"_What are your good deeds worth in the face of your sins?_

_Wrath. Lust. Envy. Pride._

_Indeed, what is your worth in this world?"_

"_This world!"_ he outcried.

"_What even is this world_

_That a woman made of light might walk upon the seas?"_

Then the woman of light,

The frightening woman of light,

Threw back her head in laughter.

"_Oh, have you now noticed?" _she spat.

"_This is no world! This is your mind!_

_And yet you have no control of it!"_

He found himself again.

"_It's only a dream, only a dream, only a dream!" _He laughed.

_You are nothing but a dream!"_

"_Indeed!_

_I am nothing but a dream, yet I reign over you._

_Now, where is your control? What can you do?"_

"_I, too, can walk across the waves!"_

He strode out to stand beside the woman of light

The woman of bright, white, brilliant light.

"_You overestimate your strength of will!"_ she said.

_You are a child, and this is the devil's playground!_

_You think you can tame your own horrors?"_

"_I do not think so,_

_I know so!_

_I know so, I say, I know so!"_

The horizon's expanse

Entrenched in darkness

Began to move.

"_Try, try, try, I love to see you try."_

She cocked her head.

_This is fun, child! Keep trying!"_

The horizon's toiling waters

Riling, roiling waters

Commenced to approach him.

"_Oh," _said he, _"but I know who I am!_

_I know my demons, be they imps or be angels!_

_I have my life under lock and key!"_

The roiling waters roared in his ears

As they encroached upon the incorporeal duet

Of man of rotted dust and woman of light.

"_I,"_ he declared, _"am king!_

_I am king of these waters!_

_I am king of my life!"_

The woman of light held out her hand.

"_Grab on now, child,_

_Whilst you can!"_

He was perplexed at the hand she proffered.

"_What is it you want? What is your offer?_

_I say, I say, what is your name?"_

"_I am Sin! Trespass! Misgiving!_

_I am the embodiment of your wrongs!_

_My offer is simply for you not to drown."_

The wet floor broke as the beasts pulled at his ankles.

He caught Sin's hand as he fell,

Regretted it as he felt his skin melt.

Tug as she might, with smile and laughter,

She could never stop his descent,

Could not keep him from the creatures below.

"_Please, help me!"_ he cried.

"_I'll change my ways!_

_I'll be a better father, better lover!"_

"_What help do you wish?" _she crooned with a smirk.

"_What might I do to help you,_

_Thou whom art forsaken?"_

"_Help me!"_ he pleaded. _"Help me!_

_I don't want to drown_

_Nor be swallowed by fish!"_

"_Is that what you want?" S_he cackled.

"_Fine! If that is your wish,_

_Let us find you a more fitting death!"_

He could no longer scream,

Could no longer decry his mistakes,

As the arachnids and insects escaped from his gullet—

Murdoc woke with a start, gasping for air. He calmed down when we realized where he was. He looked at the clock. 6:36 AM. He sighed. He got up and dressed himself, then headed up to Kong. It was Monday; he had to take Noodle to school.


End file.
